Behind Closed Doors
by KeywielderAnima
Summary: Kairi, a single mom and Psychologist, starts seeing Sora, her newest patient. The more Sora visits Kairi, the more they become emotionally attached to each other even to the point of falling for each other. There's just one problem, Kairi doesn't socialize with patients outside of work and might even have her own set of issues that she's hiding from him. (Sora x Kairi)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Just a Day At the Office

" _Yuki! Come here, sweetie!" A woman in her mid-twenties kneeled down and clapped as a little red-headed toddler began slowly making steps toward her. "You're doing great! Come here, Yuki! What a big girl!" The baby tottled her way into the woman's arms before being swooped up who was presumed to be her mother. "I'm so proud of you!"_

" _I'm home, Kairi!" A man around her age came in through the front door. He kissed the woman's cheek before making his way straight towards the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled a beer out._

 _Kairi walked into the kitchen carrying Yuki. "Vanitas," she said smiling widely. "You'll never believe what Yuki did today!"_

" _Yeah?" Vanitas asked leaning against the counter running a hand through his spiky, black hair. "What happened?"_

" _She actually walked! Her first steps! Can you believe it?"_

 _Vanitas shrugged and took a sip of his beer. "I guess. She took her first steps yesterday while you were at class."_

 _Kairi sighed, frustrated. "You mean she started walking yesterday and you didn't tell me?"_

" _God, Kairi, chill! I was messin' with ya!" Vanitas burst into laughter and nudged Kairi in the arm. He brushed past her and walked towards the bedroom sipping his beer._

" _Of course you were…" Kairi softly said to herself._

 _-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_

 **6 years later...**

BZZZZTTT! A smartphone began vibrating and ringing, playing Sanctuary by Utada Hikaru.

Kairi snapped back to reality. _I must've started dozing off into a daydream,_ she thought as she brushed some of her auburn hair that hung halfway down her neck. Kairi looked at the caller ID and saw that a good friend was calling her.

"What's up, Selphie?" Kairi asked answering the phone.

"It's almost time for lunch! You ready?" Selphie asked on the other line.

Kairi looked at her computer screen. "Just let me finish with this email and then I'll be ready to go!"

"Okay! I'll meet you downstairs!"

Kairi shook her head before turning and finishing her email. She loved her best friend Selphie, but sometimes, she was too hyper for her own good. Kairi was a licensed Psychologist down at the Behavior Healthcare Center in Twilight Town. She has only been working for about two years, but she loved it. Kairi had always loved the study when she was a teenager and ended up applying for early acceptance when it came time for her to start college, which was _very_ helpful considering she didn't graduate with her PsyD until almost 9 years after starting on her degree.

After finishing her email, Kairi logged off her computer and locked her office before hustling downstairs to the first floor of the building where she and Selphie both worked at. She had a one hour lunch break every day at noon, which allowed both her and Selphie to walk across the street to the diner that Selphie's father owned. He always fed them free lunch whenever they came by, which was always helpful for Kairi in the mornings when she was always busy trying to get herself and her daughter ready for the day. As Kairi pushed the see-through doors of the building, she accidentally smacked it into a peculiar-looking stranger.

Kairi gasped. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She apologized. "I should've watched where I was going!"

"Hey, it's alright, no big deal!" The stranger flashed a cheesy grin and shook his head before walking past her with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Selphie sighed and shook her head. "Smooth, Kairi, smooth."

Kairi rolled her eyes before following Selphie across the street towards the diner. She loved coming here when she was younger. It always smelled of homestyle cooking such as fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Her mouth watered as she and Selphie walked into the diner and saw a server skate her way past them with a tower of onion rings.

"Hey, Dad!" Selphie greeted her dad, who was managing the diner that day.

Kairi waved. "Hello, Mr. Tilmitt!"

"Girls! Take a seat!" Mr. Tilmitt flashed a cheesy grandfather-like grin. "The usual?"

Selphie nodded. "Diet coke for me this time, though!"

"Whoa, Selphie, watching your already _perfect_ figure?" Kairi teased as the two girls sat at the bar, their legs dangling from the stools.

"Can't help it! I'm in the market!" Selphie said rolling her eyes.

"So, _who_ is the eligible bachelor this week?"

"Let _me_ tell you! This REALLY cute guy who came in and got his haircut! His name is Demyx!" Selphie pulled out her iPhone and showed her his Facebook profile. He had blonde hair that was styled like mullhawk, somewhat of a cross between a mullet with a mohawk. Kairi couldn't help but be reminded of the frat boys back in college. This guy was older than her and Selphie too, but questioning hairstyle aside, he seemed quite charming. "Whaddaya think?"

"Hmm...a musician, he is a swim coach, and he loves the beach." Kairi said as she browsed through Demyx's profile. "Not bad, not bat at all."

"Now, what about you?"

Kairi laughed and brushed hair behind her ear. "No way! I'm not looking to date anybody right now." She said as she spun her coffee mug in her hand.

Selphie sighed. "Come on, girl! It's been...how many years?"

"Doesn't matter...I'm happy with my life right now. I have my friends, my family, my job, and my daughter. What else could I want or need?"

"A father for Yuki? Isn't that the reason you married Vanitas in the first place?"

Kairi sighed. "I guess…" She stuck her fork her salad. "I don't really wanna think about it, honestly. I'm too wrapped up in my work and being a mom. That's all that matters."

After finishing her lunch, Kairi looked at her watch and saw that it was time for her to head back to the office. Selphie went back to her job at the salon that was just a few suites down. She was a manager and absolutely loved being in charge. When the two of them were little, Kairi swore that Selphie was going to be a dictator when she grew up. Well, a supervisor is almost the same, right? Despite being power-hungry, Selphie was actually a great supervisor and the stylists that worked there adored her for standing up to customers that treated her stylists like shit.

Kairi walked back into her office and got herself situated at her computer. She pulled up her schedule. She generally would see about 6 patients a day for about an hour each. The rest of her shift was either taking breaks, checking/answering emails, or making phone calls. It didn't sound exciting to the average outsider, but Kairi, being the nurturing person she was, always felt proud when she was making progress with her patients. In fact, the hardest part about her job was trying to keep it professional with her patients and not trying to get personal with them when it came to asking questions or giving advice.

It was 1:00. Kairi had an appointment with someone whose name she had never heard before. He was a new patient. _Sora Hikaru_ , she read the name in her head. Kairi ran a hand through her hair and brushed off the sleeveless burgundy top and black skirt she was wearing. With the heels of her flats clapping on the tile and echoing throughout the hallway, Kairi ducked into the waiting room where she noticed a familiar-looking young man sitting in one of the chairs scrolling through his phone.

"Uh…Sora Hikaru?" Kairi called out.

The young man that had the familiar spiky brown hair from before stood up. "That would be me."

"Oh!" She wanted to smack herself in the forehead. Of all the people she could smack with a door. "Hello again!" She awkwardly smiled and waved. "Hope I didn't cause any harm."

Sora shrugged as he followed Kairi down the hall to her office. "Just a bruise the size of Destiny Islands." Kairi raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm kidding."

Kairi nodded. "Right…" She opened the door to her office. "Well, I'm Kairi Uchida. Once again, I apologize for smacking you earlier, but I can promise you that there won't be any of that here." She sat in her chair while Sora took a seat in the couch that was in her office. "Now, is this your first time at counseling?" Sora nodded while struggling to keep eye contact with her. "Okay, well, since this is our first meeting, I'm just gonna ask you some questions, and you just answer as you see fit, and everything that we will be discussing today will be in strict confidentiality, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Miss Uchida." Sora said leaning back in the couch.

"Alright, so based on the questionnaire that you answered when you first got here," Kairi said as she looked through Sora's paperwork. "It appears that you are experiencing some depression symptoms. How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?"

"About...a couple years ago…"

Kairi took out her notebook and started writing down notes. "And...what made you decide to reach out and make the appointment?"

Sora sighed. He ran his hand through his spiky brown hair. "Honestly...I don't know." His voice was soft and had a hint of sadness in it. "We had a meeting at work about mental health in the environment and…" He shrugged. "I don't know. I just suddenly realized that there was something wrong with me and I wanted to fix it." Sora stared up at the ceiling. "It was...kind of a spur of the moment thing."

"So...where do you work at?"

"I'm a teacher at Sunset Hills High School."

"Oh? What do you teach?"

Sora took a deep breath. "I teach Biology."

"Do you have potential stressors at work?"

Sora laughed. "What stressors _don't_ I have? I get calls from parents yelling at me why their kid failed their exam. I try to make it fun for a bunch of hormonal teenagers who don't wanna be there. I'm constantly having to replace lab gear out of pocket because the kids keep on either breaking it or stealing it…" He shook his head. "I mean, I love Biology, but teaching it to a bunch of teens is a whole different story."

"Okay, I gotcha…" Kairi said as she wrote down in her notes.

Sora watched as Kairi continued to write. His stomach started to turn. The more she wrote, the worse he felt. _Why am I even here?_ He thought to himself. _All I'm doing is paying this woman money I don't have just to rant with her the same shit I rant with my friends about._ Over the remainder of the hour, Kairi continued to ask him questions regarding his symptoms. _Do you experience feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness?_ Her words echoed through his mind. Sora crossed his arms as his eyes darted between Kairi and the floor. _Worthless? I can barely teach kids basic Biology._ Sora looked out the window. _Hopeless? What's all of this for? What's the point?_

"How often do you experience these feelings?" Kairi asked.

Sora took a deep breath, a slight shake vibrating his chest. "All...the time." Did he really want to share this with a woman he had just met? _She's a professional, she knows what she's doing._

Kairi looked at the time and saw that the hour-long session was coming to an end. "Well Sora, based on what you have told me. Right now, we want to take things one step at a time. From now, up until your next appointment, I want you to really pay attention to what triggers these feelings before we decide whether or not medication is necessary." She moved over to her computer and pulled up her schedule. The current date was September 21. "Okay...I have an opening for October 12 at 2:00pm. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great." He replied simply.

After handing Sora some paperwork regarding his next appointment along with some pamphlets on mental health that she felt would be useful during his time away from her, Kairi said goodbye to her patient and guided him back out of her office. She couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity with him. It was almost as if her counseling sessions weren't satisfying enough. She wanted to know more about him. As curious as Kairi was, she shook off the thoughts and went back to her computer. The rest of the day was pretty average for her. She had two more patients, both of them were regulars whom had both made significant progress since they first started seeing her within the past year.

Once Kairi finished seeing her final patient, her "free hour" had finally arrived. As much as she loved seeing her patients, it only made Kairi appreciate this free hour all the more, and she loved it when were computer workload was light, like this particular day. Kairi finished typing her last email before pulling a book out from her bag. She had started reading _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ once again. With it being her favorite book, Kairi often brought it as a time waster or if she needed to distract her mind from anything, which was also quite often.

Five o'clock came, which mean it was time for Kairi to check out for the day. She locked up her office and scurried out of the building down to the silver Volvo that sat in the parking lot. As she adjusted her rearview mirror, Kairi focused and noticed Sora walking in the background. It looked like he was walking with a cup of coffee. _What's he doing out here all by himself?_ She asked herself. _His appointment ended three hours ago._ Kairi started the car and kept an eye on Sora as she started backing out of her parking spot, until…

 _Crash!_

"Shit…" Kairi cursed. "I just had this car polished too…" She got out and examined the damage. Her left bumper had a dent, almost like a dimple. The other car had a headlight that was cracked as a result. "Great...whoever the owner of this car is, they need to get out here now because I just wanna go home…" Kairi vented pacing back and forth.

"Miss Uchida?" Kairi looked behind and saw Sora walking briskly towards her. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Sora! Hello there!" She greeted him trying to be as professional as possible despite not being on the clock at the moment. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just...accidentally backed into this car…" Kairi scoffed and crossed her arms. "I hope this car's owner hurries out here because I have to get home."

Sora chuckled. "That shouldn't be a problem." He rested his arms behind his head. "Because he's right here."

Kairi's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "This is _your car_?" Sora nodded. "Oh my god…" She put a hand to her forehead. "I am...so...sorry...first, I smack you in the face with a door and now, I back into your car. Is there anything else I can do to damage you?"

"Probably not." Sora shrugged. "In all fairness, today was…a good counseling session."

"Thanks, but that's not gonna pay for the damage on your car."

Sora sighed. "You know what…the car is old. I've had this car for 10 years and it was on its last legs. I'm...trying to save up for a new car."

"No, I can't just not pay for the damages." Kairi shook her head. She took out her wallet and searched for her insurance card and driver's license. "Here, I'll give you my-"

"-Dr. Uchida," Sora rested his hand on top of hers. "Really, don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."

Kairi sighed. "Can I make it up to you at least _somehow?_ "

Sora sighed and leaned against his car. "I don't know, honestly." He crossed his arms.

"How about I offer you a free counseling session?"

"Now _that_ sounds pretty good to me."

"Okay, the next session is on me. I'll take care of it." Kairi smiled before sighing hopelessly and looking at her car's bumper. "My car has a dimple on its butt…"

Sora laughed. "Hey, that's kinda cute."

Kairi blushed and brushed some hair behind her ear. "Well, I gotta get home now, but I'll see you next month!"

"Yeah, I'll see you then, Miss Uchida." Sora smiled warmly and waved back at her.

Kairi smiled and waved as she watched Sora get into the old, beat up Toyota Camry. There was a part of her that questioned why he was so nonchalant about the whole affair. Granted, Kairi never made a big deal about a fender bender, but at the same time, she always made sure to get the information of the other driver just in case her car started having problems following it. _Strange..._ she thought before getting back into her own car.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I know! I know! I already have another fic in progress! I couldn't help it though! I got this idea in my head and really don't wanna wait on it! I'm gonna work on this AND _Don't Think Twice_ at the same time. If I don't update both fics on the same day, one will be updated most likely one or two days later after the other. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and leave a review, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Nightmare

After saying goodbye to Sora, Kairi hopped back into her car, which miraculously still worked as if nothing had happened. She made sure to pay more attention to the road this time as she accelerated away from Sora's car and out of the parking lot. She could feel her eyes becoming more heavy. It was a long day for Kairi and she was very tired. Driving home after work was always a drag for her. She worked downtown while Kairi's house was located in a suburban neighborhood located in the Sunset Hills area of Twilight Town. It was quite beautiful driving in the more quiet area as opposed to driving in the busier local traffic downtown. She could get used to it.

Kairi pulled into the driveway where there was another car parked on the other side. She was so relieved to be home and instantly recognized the car that was parked there. With her tote bag slung over her shoulder, Kairi locked her car and walked into the front door. She immediately walked in to find a girl that was her age and looked very similar to her, but had long, blonde hair instead of it being red. She was sitting on the living room couch on her laptop. There was also a little girl sitting on the floor staring up at the TV, which was playing some cartoon Kairi didn't care to watch.

"Hey Kairi!" The blonde girl greeted.

Kairi waved. "Hey Namine!" She looked ahead and saw an orange and cream-colored japanese akita clawing at the slider door that led to the backyard. "Okay, Blossom, I'm coming!" Kairi walked over to the door and opened the slider before rubbing the dog's sides. "Hey Yuki!" She walked over and kissed the little on the head.

"Hey Mommy!" She waved before returning to her program.

"Did you have fun with Auntie Namine?"

Yuki smiled widely. "I always do!"

Namine stood up and shut her laptop. "How was work, sis?"

Kairi laughed. "Come with me into the kitchen." She was followed by her blonde sister into the kitchen, where Kairi started to make coffee for the two of them. "Boy, have I got a story to tell you." 

"Yeah? Please share." Namine cocked her head to the side as she poured coffee into her cup.

"Well, there was this guy at lunch-"

Namine's eyebrows raised. "-A guy?"

"It's not what you think," Kairi's eyes widened as she shook her head. She mixed cream and sugar into her coffee before sitting down with her twin. "When I went out to lunch with Selphie today, I accidentally smacked the door into this guy's face. Later, I get back to the office and find out that this guy is my newest patient, and then after work, I managed to accidentally back into his car!"

Yuki walked in at the wrong time. "Sounds like bad luck to me." She said.

Kairi just shook her head disregarding her daughter's comment. Yuki was going to be seven in January. Kairi couldn't believe it. It seemed like time flew by after she was born. In her defense, her life was completely booked between raising a child and working on her Doctorate for Psychology. If Kairi could be honest, she didn't intend on having a family until at least finishing school, but life is full of twists and turns, and despite Yuki not being planned, she wouldn't trade her life for anything.

For dinner, Kairi decided to take leftover chicken and make fajitas with it. She had enough to feed more than her and Yuki, so she invited Namine and her husband, Roxas, to stay. Roxas ended up just coming straight to Kairi's house from work. As much as Kairi hated to admit it, she thought Roxas was a great guy for Namine. They got married about five years ago. In fact, Roxas proposed to Namine at the hospital the day Yuki was born. He worked hard and treated her unlike anyone else. Despite a rocky start, Kairi became rather acquainted with Roxas and started seeing him like the brother she never had growing up. She did find it fascinating watching the two of them interact with Yuki whenever they were together. Namine on her own was great with Yuki, but when Roxas joins in, Kairi can't help but feel a sense of overjoy inside.

"So, how was your day?" Namine asked Roxas as everyone began eating.

Roxas sighed. "Exhausting…my brain hurts…" He rubbed his forehead. He worked as an accountant downtown, so he dealt with numbers all day long.

Yuki slid her uncle a cold glass of water. "Here, Uncle Roxas. Mom always drinks water when she has a headache."

"Thanks," he chuckled and patted Yuki on the back.

"Are you gonna come to my soccer game on Saturday?" Yuki asked.

Roxas smiled. "Of course! I never miss a good soccer game, especially with your strong legs dashing out there!"

"If I recall, it's your turn to bring snacks, right?" Namine asked. Yuki nodded. "Well, I'll run out and get some snacks tomorrow after my shift ends."

Kairi nodded. "Thanks, Namine."

As much as Kairi loved Namine helping out with Yuki since she was so busy working, she couldn't help but sometimes feel like her sister was helping out _too much_. Heck, Kairi didn't even pay Namine to watch Yuki after school only because Namine insisted that because she's family, she doesn't want to be paid. Kairi slowly ate at her food while Yuki excitedly conversed with Roxas about soccer. This was Yuki's second year playing soccer having started the previous year when she was in kindergarten. Being in the first grade and having a lot of energy, soccer was a great way for her to burn it all off after school a few times a week.

Namine helped Kairi wash the dishes after dinner while Roxas went into the playroom and started playing Mario Kart with Yuki. Despite how tired Kairi was, having her sister and brother-in-law made for good company. She was perfectly happy being single and not married, but it did get lonely around the house sometimes, especially late at night after Yuki went to bed. Namine kept on looking towards the playroom anytime she heard Yuki and Roxas busting out laughing from the activity on the TV.

"There's quite a party going on in there." Kairi said laughing.

Namine sighed. "Yeah...it's a lot quieter at our house." She said staring down into the kitchen sink.

"How long has it been since…?"

"It's been two years…" Namine answered. She took a rag and started drying a plate. "You know I don't like to talk about it."

Kairi turned off the water. "I know, but I know how bad you and Roxas want a baby."

Namine shook her head. "Tell me about it." She walked over and sat at the dining room table. "I feel stupid for not being over this…"

"Namine…" Kairi sat next to her and began rubbing her sister's back, whose eyes started to well up with tears. "A miscarriage is nothing to take lightly. Not to mention it happened towards the very end of your pregnancy. I mean, I had a scare early during my pregnancy and thought I lost Yuki. I can't say I completely understand what you're going through, but if what I went through was hell, then I can't even imagine what you're dealing with." She sighed and twiddled with her fingers. "I'm sorry. I help people out for a living and I can't even help my own sister out…"

"It's okay, Kairi. This helps...more than you know. Just having my family's support and being part of little Yuki's life helps." Namine said as she wiped her tears away.

"I'm glad, and I know you are still struggling with this, but I think you should give it another try."

Namine sighed and brushed her hand through her hair. "I don't know...I just...what if it happens again? I can't go through this again…"

"What if you keep on thinking this and miss out on another opportunity?" Kairi asked.

"I guess you're right...we're both approaching 30, and time is ticking fast. Soon enough, there's gonna come a day where I'm gonna be too old to have a baby."

Kairi put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Then go for it." She smiled and looked down. "I promise you, there's nothing like the feeling you get when you look at your baby for the first time. It's the best feeling in the world."

Namine smiled. "Kairi…" She held her head low for a moment before looking back up at Kairi. "I think Roxas and I have to get going."

Roxas and Namine said goodbye and headed home for the night. Yuki went to bed about an hour later leaving the house quiet for Kairi. It was almost creepy, so she always left the TV running in the living room at a low volume. Kairi opted to watch some late night reality TV, a choice she always went with when she just wanted some background noise. She grew thirsty and retreated to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. It had a way of helping her fall asleep, which she struggled with nightly. As Kairi poured the glass, she felt something wet and cold and against the back of her thigh. She gasped and felt shivers circulate through her body, nearly dropping the bottle. Kairi turned and saw it was Blossom standing there wagging her tail. _Okay, it's only the dog_ , she thought, relieved.

Kairi opened the sliding door and let Blossom run outside in the backyard. It was a cool evening, which gave her an excuse to stand outside and enjoy the breeze. Her eyes followed Blossom as she ran across the grass sniffing random spots before continuing. Kairi yawned and leaned against the wall, her eyes growing heavy. As she could feel herself dozing off, a "pounding" noise echoed from behind her. Kairi's heart began racing as she whirled around seeking the source of the noise. There was nothing there. _Great, I'm losing it,_ Kairi held a hand to her chest catching her breath. Blossom finished doing her business and went back into the house with Kairi following right behind.

It started to get really late and Kairi had to work the next morning. She went upstairs into her room and hopped into her queen-sized bed that seemed too big for her sometimes. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling not being able to shut her eyes and fall asleep despite the room being pitch black. Blossom came in and jumped on the bed lying down on the other side. Not feeling comfortable, Kairi shifted so she was lying on her side facing the window. The wind started picking up by then. It was now blowing hard enough that it sounded like ghosts were haunting the neighborhood. Forcing herself to sleep, Kairi shut her eyes tightly trying to drift off to sleep.

"Go away! Go away!" Yuki screamed from her room down the hall.

Kairi's eyes flew open. "Yuki!" She jumped out of bed and ran down to the hall to Yuki's bedroom. She opened the door to see Yuki struggling in her bed yelling in her sleep. Kairi hurried to her bed and began shaking her daughter. "Wake up! Wake up, Yuki! Wake up!"

"Mom!" Yuki's eyes flew open. Her face was flushed and sweating. " _It_ came back! I heard it! I heard it!"

"Yuki, what are you talking about?"

Yuki threw her arms around Kairi. "The shadow! I heard him! He sounds like a ghost!" The sound of the wind blew from outside. "That's him!" She screamed, burying her face against Kairi's shoulder. "Make him go away, Mom! Make him go away!"

Kairi hugged her daughter tightly. "Yuki, it's only the wind. It's blowing really hard tonight." She ran her hand through Yuki's dark red hair. "It's alright now, I'm here. You're okay." 

"He'll hurt us, Mom." Yuki cried softly.

"No, he won't. Not as long as I'm here." Kairi pulled Yuki out of bed and guided her down the hallway down to her bedroom. "Here, come sleep in my room."

Yuki nodded, clutching her stuffed Meow Wow plush to her chest. She hopped into Kairi's bed and snuggled under the covers next to Blossom. Kairi kissed Yuki goodnight and got into bed next to her. As she lay down, Yuki cuddled with her mom. If there was anything that took away Kairi's doubt on whether she was a good parent or not, it was whenever Yuki showed her any sign of affection. Yuki always ended up sleeping in Kairi's room whenever she had nightmares, which had become common within the past year or so. Kairi felt bad for the poor girl. She never had to deal with nightmares on this level when she was a child.

" _What took you so long, Kairi?"_ Kairi gasped as she heard the low, sinister voice echo through her mind. _"Not bad at all. Congratulations. I'll keep you around."_ Kairi quickly looked to the side of the room and saw the shadows that the trees outside formed. It started to look familiar almost like a human figure with spiky hair. _"I was beginning to wonder when you're gonna cave in."_ She shut her eyes as the room started spinning.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

 _Kairi and Vanitas stumbled inside, slamming the door behind them. It was the spring break of Kairi's fourth year of college. It had been quite a crazy one, for sure. She and Vanitas opted to go up to the mountains where Vanitas' parents owned a cabin that they would visit all the time during the summer. It was going on 12:30am. Vanitas had taken Kairi to a bonfire earlier that evening that some of his friends were having. Not only was it spring break, but it was also Kairi's 22nd birthday, and to say she enjoyed herself was an understatement. Having been loaded with essays, tests, and reading during the semester, Kairi wanted to let all of that go and just let loose for a night._

" _Hey!" Kairi said obnoxiously loud. "Y'know what I want...tacos!" She slurred holding her hand up._

 _Vanitas snickered. "Wow Kairi, didn't know you played for that team." He gripped Kairi by the shoulders and began massaging them. "Babe…you gotta relax…"_

" _What're you talkin' about? I'm relaxed…" Kairi said leaning in and kissing Vanitas heatedly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her hands through his hair. "I don't wanna be here with anyone but you…"_

" _Hehe...don't worry." Vanitas continued to kiss her, wrapping his hands around her waist and pressing his body against hers. "We're all alone out here."_

" _Good!" Kairi ran her hand up and down Vanitas' chest while resting the other behind his neck. She continued to kiss him. "I…" A silent moan escaped her as Vanitas began kissing her neck. "I need you…"_

" _Say that again…"_

 _Kairi sighed as Vanitas' hands rubbed up and down her back. "I need you…"_

 _Vanitas picked Kairi up, her legs wrapped around his waist, and carried her through the cabin over to the bedroom, kissing her once again. Once inside the bedroom, Vanitas set her on the bed right away and climbed on top of her. Kairi pulled Vanitas close allowing him to begin kissing at her neck. He slipped his hands underneath her top and slipped it over her head exposing her perfect torso, her breasts concealed by a light purple bra. Vanitas gasped as he took a look at her perfect figure, this being his first time seeing her exposed since they had begun dating only four months ago._

" _Damn Kairi, you've been hiding THAT? This whole time?"_

 _Kairi smiled mischievously. "I had to make you work for it." She winked._

" _Crazy girl…" Vanitas growled shaking his head. He watched Kairi's hands as they slipped underneath his shirt and ran up and down against his chest. Vanitas helped her out and removed his shirt, tossing it to the side._

" _Hey boys…" Kairi said seductively as she ran her hand over Vanitas' chiseled abs. "Now we can get crazy…" She whispered before leaning up and making out with Vanitas heatedly. Their bodies continued to press against each other._

 _Vanitas moaned as he felt Kairi's soft hands slip underneath his shorts. "You want my buddy inside you?" Kairi sighed and nodded eagerly. "I was beginning to wonder when you were gonna cave in, crazy girl…"_

 _Kairi lay on the bed allowing Vanitas to remove the rest of her clothes and climbed on top of her with the face of a lion ready to pounce._

 _-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_

Kairi's eyes flew open as she felt her heart racing and her arms numb. She sat up trying to catch her breath. Yuki was sound asleep on the other side of the bed while Blossom was on the floor at the foot of the bed. Kairi jumped out of the bed and ran over to the bathroom. Her head was pounding and her body started to tremble. Kairi reached for the glass that was at her bathroom sink and filled it with water. She drank it hoping it would help, but if anything, it made her feel nauseous. _I'm hopeless_ , she thought setting down the glass being careful not to wake up Yuki. Her knees gave out sending her down to the bathroom floor. Kairi held her head low trying to shield her sensitive eyes to the bright lights. _Just go away, please go away…._ Kairi silently prayed in her head.

With her breathing finally calm, Kairi stood up and reached into the medicine cabinet pulling out the melatonin. She really had to sleep. Luckily these tablets were useful in putting her to sleep on those nights where she had trouble doing so, which were most nights nowadays. Kairi drank more water washing down the tablet down her throat. Her eyes stared ahead at her reflection. Most people saw her as a beautiful, successful career woman. Kairi, on the other hand, could only be disgusted with herself.

"How could I be so stupid?" Kairi softly asked under her breath.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Game

The clock struck 1:30 as Kairi anxiously paced around making sure she and Yuki had everything. It was Saturday, Yuki's soccer game. Kairi was never a fan of sports, but loved watching her daughter play, especially seeing as how the competitive side seemed to run in the family. She loaded up the cooler with enough snacks to feed about sixteen kids, two coaches, and a referee. Oranges were really popular with the kids, so she always sliced up oranges every time she was on snack duty. _Let's see..._ Kairi thought as she stared into the cooler. _Juice boxes, oranges, peanut butter crackers, apples….that should do it._

Yuki came running downstairs dressed in her red and white jersey with black shorts and holding a black and white soccer ball. She took after Kairi in the sense that she was always nervous before a game, but also-and unfortunately-took after her father in the sense that when she was on a roll, she tended to get cocky. Yuki set the ball down and put on her black and white shoes.

"You almost ready for the game?" Kairi asked as she began pulling Yuki's hair into a tight ponytail.

Yuki nodded. "I think so. I've been working on my striker shot!" 

"Striker shot?"

"Yeah! I have to score a goal today! I haven't scored a single one yet!"

Kairi sighed. "It's only the second game of the season, you've got time to get better."

"But I don't wanna play defense! I wanna play striker!" Yuki shot up from Kairi's lap and began bouncing the soccer ball on her knees. "Coach has to see how good I am!" Suddenly, the ball accidentally bounced off her foot and almost nailed the living room window. Kairi managed to catch the ball, but not before nearly having a heart attack. "Sorry…" she laughed nervously.

"Well, first thing you have to get better at is NOT playing soccer inside the house." Kairi said crossing her arms.

Yuki sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry."

"Come on, your aunt and uncle are meeting us there." Kairi shook her head before her work phone rang. "Hello, Dr. Uchida speaking."

Yuki rolled her eyes as Kairi put the patient on hold to switch to her bluetooth earpiece. While talking on the phone, the two of them loaded into the car and began driving to the field. The car ride was silent with the exception of Kairi's phone call. To Yuki, it seemed like all her mother did was work. Even on the weekends, when her office was closed, Kairi often shared with her patients that if they needed her when she was out of the office to give her a call. Yuki hated it when they called her on the weekends. She already spent five days a week at school and when she wasn't at school, she was at home with her aunt until 5:30, which was when Kairi usually got home from work every day.

Even Kairi, as much as she loved her job, hated that she worked so much and wasn't around a lot. It was situations like this that made her wish that Yuki's father was still around. Well, maybe not her ex, but any good father figure would be great. Kairi finally hung up the phone with the patient that had questions for her regarding a Psychiatrist that he was referred to by her. She looked over and saw Yuki leaning against the window staring outside. _I'm sorry, kiddo._ Kairi thought as she concentrated on the road. _All I want is to be a good mother to you, and give you a good life._

As Kairi parked across the street from the field, she looked out and saw Namine and Roxas, who were already set up with their lounge chairs. That was the one really good thing about these soccer games is that there were no uncomfortable bleachers to sit in. Instead, the parents were all set up with blankets and lounge chairs, almost like everyone was having picnics. Kairi pulled out the cooler as well as her lounge chair while Yuki hopped out and ran right over to Namine and Roxas.

"Look at you, Miss Soccer Mom!" Roxas greeted Kairi.

"Funny." Kairi said as she set up her chair.

Yuki ran up to her mom with her soccer ball. "I'm gonna go meet with my team!"

Kairi laughed and gave her a kiss. "Okay, good luck!" She watched as Yuki ran off and met up with about ten other kids that wore matching jerseys. She sat down in her lounge chair and stretched her legs out. "I love these soccer games…"

Namine raised an eyebrow as she sat in the chair next to her sister. "I thought you didn't like sports."

"I don't, but this gets me out of the house, away from work, and if our team wins, we get free pizza afterwards."

Roxas took a test photo with his camera. "Can't argue with that." He laughed and showed his test shot to the girls. "How do the settings look?"

Namine nodded. "They look great, but tone down the lighting a little bit."

"Hey everyone!" A woman with blue hair that hung down halfway past her neck greeted as she set up her own lounge chairs next to Kairi and Namine.

"Aqua! I was wondering when you were gonna show up." Kairi said.

Aqua sighed. "Yeah, we ran late. Kohaku had too much sugar, so we couldn't get him ready to go that fast…" She said looking back and seeing a tall man with long, brown hair carrying a small boy over his shoulder. "4-year-old boys can be CRAZY...Aika was never like this!"

Kairi shook her head. "I remember when I was pregnant with Yuki, my mom warned me that boys are harder when they're younger because they're more wild."

"Hey, I was a mild child!" The man said as he set down the 4-year-old, who had short, blue hair that spiked at the ends.

"Then how come he didn't inherit _your_ mild genes, Terra?" Aqua asked rolling her eyes.

Terra shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." He sat down on the grass and leaned back. "I don't choose which kid gets what genes."

"I wish that could be the case…" Kairi said crossing her arms. "Yuki can be just like Vanitas sometimes and it drives me crazy…"

Namine looked over at Kairi and sipped some water. "How long has it been since Vanitas even saw Yuki?"

"It's been about four years. He hasn't seen her since I left him."

Roxas scoffed and shook his head. "Asshole doesn't have his priorities straight."

"Actually, he unfortunately does…" Kairi said, her anger rising. "It's just that Yuki and I are not on that list…"

Aqua rested a hand on Kairi's back. "Well, let's not think about that. Let's just enjoy the game."

Kairi watched eagerly as the two soccer teams began to huddle up with each other. Yuki's team were The Cardinals and were playing against The Huskies. Terra and Aqua's daughter, Aika, was Yuki's age and played on the same team. The coach of The Cardinals had all of the players huddled up as he gave each player pointers. Kairi was actually friends with Yuki's coach, so she knew he was good and working with her. After the coach dismissed the players to their position, he retreated to the side and ran a hand through his silver hair that hung halfway down his neck. It amused Kairi that he was able to coach a soccer team with that long hair. The Huskies did the first kick and started the game leaving a bunch of 6-8 year old kids running around the field chasing the ball.

The game was more entertaining than a regular soccer game in Kairi's eyes, especially if two kids got into a fight, which ended up happening. Yuki and Aika watched in amusement as the two boys began shoving each other and wrestling on the ground. Both coaches ran out and broke the kids apart, much to their dismay. They were bitter rivals, but at the same time, knew when to step in and cooperate. Well, kind of. The Cardinals' coach narrowed his aqua-colored eyes at the brown eyes of the other coach, who was very built, very tall, very tan, and had very tall pointy orange hair. Did Kairi mention that everything about him was...well…"very"?

The referee got in the middle of the two coaches before anything else could break out, especially in front of the kids. Kairi noted that the two of them were known to have no filters when it came to competing against each other. The referee called for halftime. The game was quite close at this point. The Cardinals were winning by one, which only meant that The Huskies were going to play even harder the second half to try stomp the other team. Kairi decided to stretch and go visit with Yuki and the team. More than anything, she wanted to go say hi to the coach, whom she hadn't seen since the soccer season started.

"Hey Kairi!" The coach smiled and waved at her.

Kairi waved back. "Hey, Riku! The team's looking solid today!" She looked down at Yuki and Aika, who were stretching their legs out and drinking water. "You're doing great, you two!"

Riku nodded. "Yeah, especially Yuki here." He got down on one knee to Yuki's level. "Just keep up with what you're doing out there. Remember, as soon as you see an opening-"

"-Steal the ball and get it as far as I can." Yuki finished Riku's statement. She sighed. "I know, my foot just slipped out there." She said referring to a moment where she let the ball slip to the other team.

"You're kicking like you have monster legs out there, you been practicing?" Riku asked raising an eyebrow. Yuki nodded. "Well, you've definitely grown a lot in the past few weeks. Keep it up!"

"Thanks, Coach!" Yuki smiled and hugged Riku.

Kairi couldn't help but smile. He was so good with her. "Nice one almost taking down the other coach."

Riku waved it off. "Wakka's always like that." He and Kairi walked slightly further from the kids. "So, how have you been doing? I haven't seen you since the season began."

"Oh," Kairi shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Just working."

"You gotta take a day off sometime before you start looking like me."

"I do! And I'm not getting grey hairs!" Riku tried to hold in laughter as he pointed to a silver hair on the side of Kairi's head. "Wait...are you serious?" She pulled out her phone and looked at her reflection. She gasped. "Oh my god...I'm old…"

"Shut up, I'm a year older than you." Riku chuckled.

Kairi sighed. "Maybe I do need to get out more…"

"Well listen, if you're ever free on a Saturday night, then maybe we can-"

"-Riku…" She groaned cutting him off. "You're a great guy, but I'm not interested in dating anyone right now." Kairi bit her lip as she saw Riku back down, a hint of disappointment in his face. "I'm sorry. It's just that, with how my life is, I need _friends_. I don't want or need a boyfriend right now."

Riku sighed before cracking a smile. "I understand." He patted her on the back. "Hey, we've been friends since high school. I got your back."

Kairi smiled. "Thanks, Riku." She looked back where Namine and the others were sitting. "Well, I should get back to my seat. Good luck with the rest of the game."

Riku watched Kairi walk to her seat. He exhaled deeply before joining back with the kids. "God, I'm losing my touch…" He said to himself.

"Don't worry!" Yuki said looking up at her coach. "She likes your butt and thinks you have fancy hair." Riku raised an eyebrow at her. "I know, I heard her talking to my aunt on the phone."

"She thinks it's fancy...hmm…" Riku said stretching his arms out.

Yuki sighed. "Don't get excited. She's going through a phase."

"Aren't you a little young for this kind of stuff?"

"I'm six and a half..."

Riku sighed. "Right…" He patted Yuki on the back. "You just worry about being good out there and kicking The Huskies' butts."

Yuki shot a fist in the air. "Those huskies are going down like an 'averlunch'!"

"I think you mean, 'avalanche'?"

"Yeah! That thing!"

Riku shook his head and let the girls be. After fifteen minutes, the second half of the game began. Unlike Kairi, Aqua was a definite soccer mom. She got really into it and even had to be shushed by the others before she accidentally let out some foul language. Even Kohaku started getting really into the game and acted like The Cardinals' cheerleader. It got quite intense for a kids' soccer game the further to the end it got. At the very end, Aika had the ball and ended up passing to Yuki, who managed to kick it as hard as she could into the goal and end up scoring the final goal for The Cardinals, which put them ahead of The Huskies and ended up winning the game.

"Way to go, girls!" Kairi said as she hugged Yuki.

Aika patted her friend on the back. "Yuki scored the winning goal! She was a hedgehog out there!"

"Hedgehog?" Terra asked looking at his daughter funny.

"Like Sonic!" Aika clarified.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Sorry, our mistake." He said sarcastically.

Kairi shrugged. "Well, it looks like we're all going out for pizza tonight!"

"All right!" Yuki cheered throwing both fists in the air.

Riku came on up to Yuki. "Way to go, Yuki! You really did it!" He sighed. "I think I may have to bump you up to a striker position. You really had it in you today."

Yuki gasped. "Really? Striker? All right!" She jumped into Riku's arms and hugged him. "Well, I better get down to the pizzeria and start ordering before everyone gets there."

Kairi smiled and waved as Riku began gathering up his things and heading over to his car. She gathered Yuki up and parted with the rest of the adults who would meet them as well as Riku over at the pizzeria. It wasn't a very long drive, only about ten minutes away. Kairi began driving up until she saw a familiar figure. She looked across the street and saw a familiar car that belonged to the familiar figure. The broken headlight? The spiky hair? It was Sora! She noticed that his car must've been broken down because he had the front hood open and was pacing back and forth.

"Mom, why are we stopping?" Yuki asked as Kairi pulled over.

"Just stay in the car, I'll be right back." Kairi got out of the driver's seat and locked the doors before walking across the street towards Sora.

"Ugh...stupid piece of shit!" Sora cursed and kicked the front bumper.

"Uh...Sora?"

Sora's head darted towards Kairi, his heart skipping a beat. "Oh! Dr. Uchida!" He laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Don't mind me, just...having some car trouble."

"Oh yeah? What's going on with it?"

"I don't know…" Sora groaned. "I replaced the battery not that long ago!"

Kairi bent and looked into the hood. "Hmm, well…" She began to fiddle with the different parts of the car. "Oil's fine, got enough coolant, fluids look good, oh!" She perked up. "You got a toolbox?" Sora nodded. "I need a wrench and something sharp!" He pulled the toolbox out of his trunk and dug through finding a wrench and a screwdriver for Kairi. "You see this?" She pointed to the car battery. "The terminal is loose and all of the heat corroded underneath it." She took the screwdriver and began carving the corrosion away. "Wrench," she said holding out her hand. Sora handed her the wrench and she began rotating the terminal until it finally tightened. "Okay, try it out now."

Sora nodded and jumped into the driver's seat. He turned the key and the car managed to start up again. "Whoa!" He said raising his eyebrows. Sora hopped out of the car and walked back over to Kairi. "You know your way around a car, don't you?"

"My dad owns a car maintenance business." Kairi said shutting the hood. "He taught me how to fix up cars back when I was fifteen. He said if I wanted to drive, I had to learn how to take care of a car."

"Yeah, backing into another person's car is definitely the _ideal_ way to take care of a car." Sora rolled his eyes and leaned against his car.

Kairi frowned. "Hey! I said I was sorry!"

"I know, I know." Sora sighed. "I'm sorry, I was just messing with you. I tend to make jokes of a lot of situations. It's the easiest way to lighten the mood."

"I see what you mean. I used to be like that, but when I started getting more involved with Psychology, I had to take everything a lot more serious." She crossed her arms. "Mental health is nothing to poke fun at."

Sora nodded. "I understand. I apologize if I ever offended you."

Kairi shook her head. "No, not at all." She cracked a smile. "It's actually a breath of fresh air."

"Well, all joking aside, all of that car knowledge is impressive."

Kairi's cheeks began flushing pink. "Thanks, so how have you been?"

"I've been alright." He answered not making eye contact with her. Something was up, but Kairi didn't dare push him to talk when he wasn't comfortable. "How are you?"

"I've...been alright." She nodded. The two of them held awkward eye contact before looking away. "Well, I gotta get going. I'll see you back in the office, and take care!"

Kairi waved before crossing the street and hopping back into her car. Sora waved and watched as she began to drive off. She wasn't sure whether to be comfortable with that or not, but gave him the benefit of the doubt. _Maybe he's just in a daze?_ Kairi thought to herself.

"Who was that?" Yuki asked.

Kairi shook her head. "Just one of my patients."

"Hmm," Yuki stared out the window. "He's cute!"

"Okay, you're WAY too young to be thinking that…" Kairi said rolling her eyes. She began driving down the road leaving any traces or thoughts of Sora behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I just wanted to put a little disclaimer that I should've put in the beginning of the fanfic, but I guess better late than never, right?**

 **DISCLAIMER: This fanfic deals with sensitive topics. I have done my research to keep this story as authentic as possible, but I am not a licensed Psychologist. Any advice given in these chapters is based on advice I'd give friends or family and should be treated as fiction.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Scars and Shadows

"And...do you think you have a particular reason why staying with your husband will benefit your family as opposed to leaving?" Kairi asked after she finished writing in a notebook. She was being visited by one of her regular patients who had been having marital problems.

The patient sighed. "Well...I just feel like it's impossible to raise kids by myself and also make enough money to support the boys."

Kairi took a deep breath, keeping her mouth shut. As someone who not only raised her daughter by herself, but also had a job, and earned a Doctorate degree all on her own with the occasional asking of family to watch Yuki, Kairi couldn't believe what she was hearing. This particular patient was choosing to stay with a drug addict husband who was abusive to her and her children as opposed to getting out of there for their own safety. There were a million things Kairi wanted to say to this woman, but didn't dare jeopardize her reputation and potential for owning her own practice one day.

"I think…" Kairi began before setting down her notebook. She took the patient's hands and held them. "Okay, you want the raw truth on what I think you should do, right?" The woman nodded. "Then bear with me when I say this." Kairi leaned in. "Get your kids, and get the fuck out of there before either of you get seriously hurt. Because based on what you've told me, you could wake up and find your kids dead one day. So please, from a mother to a mother, get your kids out of there...now."

The woman nodded. "Okay, that's all I wanted hear!" She stood up. "Okay, thank you, Doctor."

Kairi smiled and looked over at her computer. "Great, so then I'll see you next month and we can check and see how you're adjusting." She said as she typed away at her computer.

After saying goodbye to her last patient for the day, Kairi went back to her work on the computer. She couldn't focus and concentrate. She decided to try and turn on some J-pop to try and help. It didn't work. Kairi finally got up from her computer desk and walked out of her office down towards the bathroom. The thing she loved about the bathrooms at the health center was that they were only single occupancy, which meant that she didn't have to feel awkward being in a bathroom all by herself.

Kairi took some cold water in her hands and splashed it onto her face, messing up her makeup. If this was any other time of the day, she would have cared more, but it was the end of her shift and she was leaving soon. With her face wet, Kairi looked down with her smeared mascara eyes and studied her arm that a good-sized scar across it. A lump formed in her throat as she started to feel sweat well up in her pores. Her grip on the sink tightened significantly as her breathing started to become heavier. Her lavender eyes shut tightly as her mind tried to shake off the thoughts that clouded her head.

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 _It was an extremely cold evening in Twilight Town. Not only was the furnace at Kairi and Vanitas' apartment not working, but there was a blizzard outside. A blizzard that was bad enough to shut the power off. Kairi, who was over the stove trying to make chicken soup, groaned as the lights shut off in the kitchen. Vanitas, who was watching TV in the living room also groaned and threw his head back. Despite the two of them both being frustrated over the same problem, their reasons were vastly different. Kairi decided to give up on cooking the soup and leave it cold. Vanitas walked into the kitchen with a flashlight._

" _So...no power, eh?" He asked leaning against the counter._

 _Kairi sighed. "Yeah, I hope it's not out too long." She began to pour the cold broth into a small sippy cup. "Want any cold soup?" She asked not looking at him._

 _Vanitas shrugged. "Probably not." He went into the fridge and pulled out a beer. "We've got other stuff anyway, that was the point of the preparation kit I made. In case of a blizzard."_

" _Right," she nodded. "Well, I better-" Kairi was cut off when Vanitas pressed his lips against hers. She was shocked at this sudden behavior._

" _You better what?" He asked in a soft, seductive tone._

" _I...I have to…take this soup to Yuki." Kairi struggled to get out._

 _Vanitas pulled her close and started massaging her shoulders. "Babe, you need to relax, you're always so tense."_

" _Can you blame me? I'm a mom, I'm working, and I'm still in school."_

" _Still…" He whispered as his hand slipped down past her waist. "You gotta relax a little."_

 _Vanitas began kissing her heatedly. Kairi couldn't help but wonder what was up with him. Granted, he did enjoy sex in the dark, but now? It was only 6:40pm, which was still rather early in the evening. Not to mention, they were snowed in. At the same time, if Yuki was sleeping, and there was nothing else to do, why not? Kairi gave into her urges and began to kiss him back. It didn't matter how much of a jerk he could be to her, she was still very attracted to him and he was the father of their child. Yeah, he stayed with her and married her despite not being ready for marriage or for a child. It was almost like she felt like she owed him or something._

 _Just when things could get further for them, an unpleasant cry echoed from the second bedroom down the hall. Vanitas, who had Kairi nailed against the wall and his hand wrapped around one of her thighs, broke the kiss and groaned loudly. He always reacted that way when Yuki cried, even when she was a baby. He would help Kairi take care of her, but not without the attitude of 'you're the mother, it's your kid'. Vanitas just seemed so careless at times in Kairi's eyes. It almost made her wonder if there was a possibility Vanitas was the father of anyone else's children and he just didn't tell her about it. Anything was possible at this point._

" _I'll go get her." Kairi said pushing Vanitas off of her. She walked into the bedroom and came back out with the two-year-old, who looked very flushed in the face. After putting a hand to Yuki's forehead, Kairi took the sippy cup of chicken broth and helped feed it to her. "Poor thing…"_

 _Vanitas began sipping the beer from the bottle. "What's up with her?"_

 _Kairi sighed, frustrated. "She still has a fever."_

" _How do you know? You haven't taken her temperature."_

" _She feels the same way she did when I took her temperature a couple hours ago." Kairi shook her head. "I think I can tell when my daughter has a fever."_

" _Okay, DOCTOR KAIRI." Vanitas teased while rolling his eyes._

" _That's not funny…" Kairi glared at him. Yuki tried to drink the broth, but continued to whimper and let out small cries. She sounded very stuffy. It almost seemed like she was having trouble breathing because of how congested she was. "Are you okay, sweetie?" Kairi wiped Yuki's tears and decided to move over to the couch. She held Yuki close and rocked her side to side as the toddler continued to cry._

 _Vanitas groaned. "Can't you shut her up?"  
_

" _Are you kidding me?" Kairi asked, her voice raising. "She is sick! She can't even breathe! The minute you stop being a big baby when you're sick, then you can tell her to 'be a big girl'!"_

" _I am NOT a baby!" Vanitas yelled._

 _Kairi rolled her eyes. "Oh PLEASE! You don't call calling off work because of a sore throat being a baby?"_

" _I wouldn't be talking! Remember all of that work you missed when you first got pregnant?"_

" _I was throwing up!" Kairi smacked herself in the forehead. "Not to mention," she said standing up. "I carried this child for nine months and you did NOTHING, so yeah, I have a right to call you a big baby!" She began to make her way closer to Vanitas. "I carried this child to term, gave birth, and took care of this child while you did NOTHING because you're just WORTHLESS!"_

" _SHUT UP!" Vanitas shouted. He chucked the beer bottle towards Kairi, who blocked it with her arm. It managed to not only shatter into multiple pieces, but cut her arm._

 _Kairi's heart started racing. "I can't…" She choked out. Yuki started crying again. More scared than she had ever been, Kairi retreated to Yuki's bedroom and locked the door behind her. She set the toddler back in the crib before losing her footing and falling onto the floor. "I just can't…"_

 _Tears fell from Kairi's cheeks. Her eyes focused on her freshly cut arm that left a stream of red blood. She scrambled in the bedroom to look for something to wrap around her cut, but there were no paper towels or tissue paper. All of that was in the bathroom and kitchen, which she didn't dare to go back out to. Instead, she reached into Yuki's drawers and pulled out one of her old onesies from when she was an infant that she couldn't fit into anymore. Her head started to pound as she wrapped the onesie around the cut absorbing the blood._

 _Yuki sat against the bars of the crib. "Ma...ma…" she softly said._

 _Kairi leaned against the crib. "I'm sorry...Yuki."_

" _Ma...ma…?"_

" _Huh?" Kairi looked over at her daughter. "Did you just say…?"  
_

" _Mama sad…" Yuki said in a sad tone._

 _Kairi smiled and wiped the tears away. "Yuki, you can talk now!" She whispered. "You're such a big girl!" She got up on her knees and gave Yuki an eskimo kiss through the bars. "I love you so much…"_

" _Mama…"_

" _You'll learn to say that eventually." Kairi stood up all the way and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "I'm not going anywhere...ever."_

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Kairi let out an unpleasant scream and hid her face in her hands. She couldn't bear to look at herself. It always made her wonder how people would want to spend their money just for her to listen to their problems and give them advice. She didn't even see herself in the mirror. Her reflection looked like nothing more than an empty shell that she left behind years ago. Kairi gasped and looked up at the door as somebody knocked on it.

"Hello? Is everything alright in there?" A voice asked. Kairi recognized it as one of the receptionists.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Kairi answered not daring to open the door.

"I was a little worried because I heard a scream in here."

Kairi laughed nervously. "Yeah, it was just a spider, but I killed it."

The receptionist didn't respond. After waiting a few minutes, Kairi peeked out and saw that there was nobody there. _Thank goodness,_ she thought to herself. The last thing Kairi wanted everyone in the office to think was that she was too unstable to do her job. After sitting back down at the computer, Kairi decided to call it an early night seeing as how she could not concentrate on the computer screen, nor did she want to try and push herself. After all, it wasn't like she was skipping out on any patients. It was paperwork that she could do at home if it was really urgent.

Kairi got home that night at around the same time as usual. She knew that Namine wasn't feeling very well, so as soon as she got inside, she sent her sister home. As much as Namine loved hanging out with Yuki for a couple hours after school, today was one of those days where she just felt out of it.

"Mom! We gotta go costume shopping!" Yuki said running into the living room. Kairi had already kicked her shoes off and gotten comfortable on the couch.

"Why now?"

"Because, you already said we could go after you get off work, all of the good costumes will be taken if we don't get one now, and it's already October 3rd!"

Kairi sighed and rested her head on the pillow. "Not today, Yuki, I had a rough day…"

"Please, Mom! I REALLY wanna be Moana this year and all of the Moana costumes are gonna be gone!" Yuki begged as she sat on Kairi's lap.

"Okay, fine, let's go." Kairi gave in. She was usually good at sticking her ground, but there were times when she just gave in. Besides, Yuki was a good kid. She did her schoolwork, didn't get in trouble at school, and respected her elders. Could anyone ask for anymore from a first grader?

It was weird for Kairi to go out shopping at this hour. If she needed something done, it was always done on the weekends where she would either bring Yuki along or would make plans for her to play at either Aqua or Namine's house while she got the errands done. Taking Yuki shopping was generally easy, unless it was grocery shopping. Kairi was that typical mom that used coupons, planned meals ahead of time, and made sure to purchase what was on sale during that week. Yuki would always get distracted with wanting something that they didn't need, which would make the already long shopping trip even longer and if there was one thing Kairi hated, it was taking a long time shopping.

There was a store downtown called Halloweentown that was probably the biggest store in Twilight Town. Kairi figured if they were going to find a costume that Yuki really wanted, it was going to be there. Plus, there was more than just costumes. The store sold decorations and food items. Kairi just brushed everything else off and went straight over to the little girls' costumes. There were costumes varying from animals to witches to princesses. Kairi found the Moana costume Yuki was itching for and took it off the rack.

"Here, you go try this on." Kairi said as she and Yuki stopped in front of the changing rooms.

Yuki nodded rapidly. "I can't wait! This is gonna look so great!" She ran into one of the stalls and locked it.

Kairi sat on the bench and waited for Yuki to finish up in the changing rooms. She watched as parents and children shopped for all of their spooky goodies that they needed. Kairi chuckled as she saw a girl put a weird hat on what was assumed to be her boyfriend. They looked a little young to be married. Kairi remembered how much she used to love Halloween. Over the years, as she grew older, the novelty just seemed to wear off. It became more about Yuki's experience. As long as she had fun, that's all Kairi cared about.

"Look at how I look!" Yuki cried as she ran out in the polynesian princess costume. She held the khaki-colored skirt and twirled around. Kairi had to admit that it looked rather cute. It even came with the necklace that the character wore in the movie. "With my stuffed Pua, this is gonna rock!"

Kairi sighed. "I guess you've made your decision?" Yuki nodded. "Alright then, go change back into your clothes and we'll go pay for this."

After paying for the costume, it started to get late, almost 7:00. For a school night, that was late for Yuki to be out. Plus, Kairi was still very tired from work. As much as she wanted to get home, both her and Yuki were starving. There was a Chinese restaurant just a short walk from Halloweentown. Kairi extended the offer and Yuki accepted. It wasn't exactly what Kairi was in the mood for, but considering it was something hearty and she could always have leftovers of, it worked. It was a casual takeout restaurant that had some tables in it, so Kairi knew they wouldn't be in there for very long.

Kairi started to zone out as she watched Yuki slurp her lo mein noodles. Sitting at the restaurant by themselves made her realize that they truly didn't spend a lot of time together, just by themselves. Typically, Namine and Roxas would tag along mostly because they were just as close to her as Kairi would, which if she could be honest, made her feel terrible. She fiddled with her piece of chicken with her chopsticks as thoughts of Yuki possibly being happier with Roxas and Namine flashed through her mind.

"Mom!" Yuki shook Kairi snapping her out of her trance.

"Wha…?"

"Your dinner's getting cold!" Yuki crossed her arms. "You've only taken a few bites."

Kairi laughed nervously. "Right, sorry." She stabbed the chicken and took a bite. Yuki was right, it was getting cold. "Yuki, if I ask you something, I want you to be honest."

"Sure!"

"Do you think I'm a good mom?"

Yuki sighed. "Of course you are. You're the best mom in the whole world."

"You sure you wouldn't be happier if Aunt Namine and Uncle Roxas were your parents?"

"I mean, they're fun," Yuki shrugged. "But, they're not my mom."

Kairi smiled. It was relieving to hear that from Yuki, but now it was a matter of wondering if she really thought that of did she feel obligated to say that because she was Kairi's daughter? Or maybe she said because she was under pressure and was put on the spot? Kairi started to feel frustrated. It seemed like no matter how anybody felt about her, she always questioned it and tried to think of some excuse why they may not be sincere about it. She hated it. She hated that she just couldn't be satisfied with an answer.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, and thank you." Kairi put on a fake smile and continued to eat.

"Besides, you got us away from him, didn't you?"

"Wha-?" Kairi nearly spat out her food. "Are you talking about…?"

"Dad." Yuki answered bluntly, not showing much emotion.

"But, that was a long time ago. You were only two when we left him. How can you remember that?"

"I don't know. I just do."

Kairi set her food down and took Yuki's hands in hers. "Yuki, I want you to tell me EVERYTHING you remember about your father."

Yuki looked down. "Well, I can't remember exactly everything, but I'll try." She thought for a moment. "I remember he used to yell at you all the time. I didn't know what he was saying, but he would just yell and break stuff. It always scared me. You cried a lot too."

"Do you remember his name or what he looked like?"

"I can't remember exactly…" Yuki shook her head. "But, sometimes, I have bad dreams of this black monster with glowing yellow eyes and has spiky hair, and he's yelling at you and making you cry and attacking you. It reminds me of Dad."

Kairi released her grip and leaned back in her seat. "Oh my god…the shadow...why didn't you tell me you dreamed about your father?"

Yuki shrugged. "I don't know. I thought you'd be mad at me. I know you don't like to talk about Dad."

"When did you start having these bad dreams?"

"I think...right before I started kindergarten."

"That was when you first started playing soccer…" Kairi said softly.

Yuki nodded. "Yeah, a lot of kids and their dads practiced in the park, and when they ask me where mine is, I just told them I don't have one anymore."

"Right…" Kairi nodded slowly. "I'm sorry,"

"It's okay! I don't need a dad! I like it just me and my mom. Boys are icky anyway." Yuki said as she began slurping on her noodles.

Kairi laughed out loud. "You're right about that!"

The bell rang signaling another customer arriving at the restaurant. Kairi curiously looked up and saw Sora walk in. Her eyes followed him as he brushed right past hers and Yuki's table. _He must've not have noticed us,_ she thought. Unlike her previous encounters, Sora this time did not look the least bit happy at all. Kairi almost wanted to go up and talk to him just to see what was going on. It was the curse of her job. She always wanted to know how everyone was feeling. She heaved a sigh and went back to eating her dinner. Yuki, who happened to catch her mom's staring, looked back and noticed Sora at the counter ordering food.

"Is that the guy you helped out with his car?" She asked. Kairi nodded. "You should go say hi!"

Kairi's eyes widened as she shook her head. "No, he probably doesn't wanna be bothered, especially by me."

Yuki shrugged. "Okay…" Her eyes scrolled down and caught a glimpse of Sora's wallet that happened to fall right in front of her. "Hey, mister!" Yuki called out as she got up from her seat and picked up the wallet.

"Yuki!"

Sora turned and made eye contact with Yuki. He got down to her level. "What is it, little one?"

"You dropped this!"

"Oh? How the heck did that happen?" Sora reached into the pockets of his black pants and shuffled his hands before shaking his head. "Looks like I have a giant hole in one of my pockets. How did I not notice it falling out?" He reached out and took the wallet that Yuki was holding out. "Thank you." He smiled warmly and reached into the wallet pulling out a five dollar bill. "Here you go."

Yuki gasped. "For me?" Her face was lit up as if she won a trophy.

"For being so honest and kind." Sora's eyes travelled around the restaurant. "Now, where are your parents?" He froze immediately when his eyes caught glimpse of Kairi, who was only two tables away from the counter. "Dr. Uchida?"

Kairi laughed nervously and waved. "Hello again!"

"Is this your daughter?" Sora asked walking the child back to the table. Kairi nodded. He scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "She's cute. She looks just like you."

"Thanks." Kairi blushed as she brushed hair behind her ear. "So, you having a late meal too?"

Sora nodded, shoving his hands into his pocket. "Tonight was supposed to be Parents Night at the high school, but I ducked out early."

"Oh? How come?"

"Didn't feel like dealing with crazy parents. No offense."

Kairi shrugged. "None taken. I'm a very chill parent and have been called a soccer mom just because Yuki here plays soccer."

"You? A soccer mom? No way." Sora shook his head, perishing the thought. The cashier called out Sora's name and placed his takeout on the counter. "Well, there's my food. It was good seeing you again." He glanced down at Yuki. "Nice meeting you, Yuki. Thanks again for finding my wallet."

"You wanna eat with us?" Yuki offered.

Sora waved his hand. "Thanks, but I do have to get home. I have papers to grade." He walked up to the counter and grabbed his food before waving to Kairi and Yuki one last time.

"He's really nice!" Yuki said as she went back to eating her dinner.

Kairi smiled and nodded. Yuki couldn't have been more right. In fact, there was something...oddly charming about the way Sora interacted with Yuki that night. It was almost like he was a completely different person. Had she never met the guy before, she never would've guessed he was depressed. _Guess you never truly know what somebody could be going through,_ Kairi thought to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sooooo, I should be asleep instead of typing this at 2:00 in the morning, but I just FINALLY beat Lingering Will in KH2 for the first time (yes, I've never beaten him before, sue me!), so I'm running on major adrenaline! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! This one's for the Sora fans (including myself lol)!**

* * *

Chapter 5: What is the Point?

"All right guys, you and your lab partner both have a microscope in front of you." Sora said standing in the middle of the Biology lab. "You're also gonna have a list right there on your lab assignment. The goal here, is to look at the different cells and try to guess which cell is what based on the notes you've taken. You can also use your textbook." He paused and walked back to the board. "But there's more!"

"Really?" A bunch of students groaned.

Sora sighed. "You guys didn't even let me finish! The winning pair that gets all of the answers right first, gets 5 extra credit points on the exam." The students started cheering. "Now, let's see some science here!"

For the rest of the period, Sora spent time walking around helping his Biology students out on their lab assignments. This was third period, one of the better classes that he had. His classes ranged from being full of kids that didn't care to classes that had kids that actually cared about their education and made an effort. It was classes like third period that made him really enjoy his job. The other classes, well, it didn't take a rocket science to know how Sora felt about them. It's not that he didn't like the students, it's just as an underpaid teacher, he could only try so hard to make it so fun and easy for students that didn't make an effort and had parents that also didn't really care.

After the bell rang, the students continued to scurry their way out. Sora couldn't blame them. Even he was starting to feel hungry. A lot of teachers went to the lounge during the lunch period, but Sora chose to stay in his classroom. He didn't really know any of the other teachers seeing as how this was his first semester of teaching at Sunset Hills High School. He didn't really care to socialize with the other teachers either. As Sora put it, he wasn't here to make friends. He was here to work. If he wanted to socialize, he could easily go down to a coffee shop or a bar after school and talk to people there.

"Mr. Hikaru?" A female student walked into the room.

"Hey Lucia, what's up?" He greeted her.

Lucia pulled up a chair next Sora's desk. "I was confused earlier in the lab on the differences between some of the cells, so you think you can go over that really quick?"

"Yeah, sure." Sora nodded as Lucia took out her notes. He liked Lucia a lot. She was a straight A's student and was always trying really hard no matter how tough the material seemed. Sora quickly looked over her notes and gave her a few pointers to add to them. "I think that's about it," he said finishing up. "Do you have any other questions?"

"No, that's all, thanks, Mr. Hikaru." Lucia said as she began to walk outside of his classroom. She turned and looked at him before she left. "I don't think I ever told you this, but you're my favorite teacher."

"I am?"

Lucia nodded. "Yeah, you really care about us students, and you're really easy to talk to." She brushed some hair behind her ear. "Do you have a wife or a girlfriend?"

Sora chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm not married anymore and I haven't had a girlfriend since then."

"Well, if you do get a girlfriend, she's gonna be very lucky." Lucia said as she walked out of the room blushing.

Sora laughed before turning his attention to his computer. He did have a share of students that had crushes on him. Considering he was one of the better looking male teachers and one of the youngest, Sora couldn't deny it. He found it rather cute, but at the same time made him question if he truly was ready to start dating again. It would be a way for him to finally meet people in Twilight Town, which is something that, despite living there since June, he has failed to do. In fact, the most socializing get has gotten was when he saw Kairi at his first appointment.

During the lunch period, Sora decided to finally get out of the classroom and wander over to the teachers' lounge. Besides, he needed coffee since his energy level was starting to die down and the lounge had plenty of coffee. Sora walked into the lounge. It didn't look anything like the students made it out to be. They made it sound like a college recreation room with bean bag chairs, TVs, a bar, arcade machines, and unlimited snacks. It had the same white walls, the dark carpet, it did have a couple TVs, but it was always stuck on some news channel. The kitchenette had the coffee machine, which was calling Sora's name. He immediately made himself a cup. There were teachers all huddled up together conversing and eating their lunches. It almost made Sora feel like an outcast, something he hadn't felt since elementary school almost twenty years ago.

After getting comfortable in the lounge, Sora saw another teacher walk into the lounge. He was scrolling through his smartphone. This was a teacher that, despite it already being October, Sora had never seen before. He looked to be close to his age, but then again, when you reach adulthood, can you really tell how old someone really is? Sora went back to eating his lunch and browsing through social media. He had messages in his inbox from random people he went to high school with and extended family members. He wondered what was the point of having these people on his friends' list since he hasn't spoken to any of them in years.

"Oh my god!" The teacher that Sora noticed burst into laughter. He brushed his shoulder-length silver hair. "Come on, you gotta see this!" He leaned over to a much older-looking teacher and showed him something on his phone. "Tell me this isn't funny!"

The old teacher shook his bald head. "That isn't funny…"

The younger teacher scoffed. "Old Man Xehanort, uncultured swine…" He looked over at Sora before plopping in a seat next to him. "Hey, you look like you're from this century, tell me this isn't funny."

Sora looked at the screen. It was a meme, which he was rather fond of. "That's actually really awesome." He said laughing.

"I knew it was!" The silver-haired teacher raised an eyebrow at Sora. "You're new here, aren't you?"

"How can you tell?"

"The teachers' lounge can be just as clique-y as the students. You're here all by yourself, so there ya go." The teacher extended his hand to Sora. "I'm Riku Miyano. I'm one of the gym teachers here."

"Sora Hikaru, I teach Biology here."

"Biology, really?" Riku asked chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"You're so fit, I would think you would join the athletic side."

Sora's eyebrows furrowed. "I've always been into science. I was a scrawny kid and just work out in the mornings."

Riku nodded. "Same, I also coach kids' soccer. We're The Cardinals!" He stood up straight and tall. "The Cardinals fly high while everyone else falls hard!" Other teachers shushed him. "Sorry, that's our motto."

"You seem _really_ into it." Sora laughed as he sipped his coffee.

"There's something cool about coaching a bunch of kids as opposed to a bunch teenagers." Riku shrugged and rested his arms behind his head. "They're all really into it and give it their all out there. In fact, one of my kids made such an improvement that I bumped her up to the striker position."

Sora shook his head slowly. "I don't understand soccer lingo, but I'm guessing that's cool."

"Her mom is even cooler." Riku smirked. "We've been friends since high school, and...ugh…"

"What?"

"How experienced are you with women?"

Sora pondered for a moment. "I mean, I have past experience. I've had a number of girlfriends and I've been married once."

"What does it mean when a woman says she doesn't wanna date someone, but she still finds you attractive?" Riku asked eagerly.

"It probably means that she finds you attractive and isn't ready to date anyone." Sora shrugged.

Riku sighed. "I could've answered that…so, I guess this means I'm in the friendzone?"

"Probably."

"I guess maybe it's time to resort back to the old tricks." Riku shook his head. "You wanna hit the club tonight? I'll try and get my buddy, Roxas, to come, but he's married, so chances of him coming are slim."

Sora shook his head. "Nah, I'm not really a club kind of guy." He looked at his watch and stood up. "Well, I should get back to my room now. Thanks for the offer."

Without saying another word, Sora hurried out of the teachers' lounge and back over to his classroom. He had a few minutes left before the lunch period ended and all he wanted was to be alone. As nice as Riku was, Sora was reminded why he doesn't socialize outside of work. It seemed like everyone that talked to him was always pushing him to date and find someone to settle down with. Was there something wrong with just staying single? Why did it suddenly become a requirement in life to be married by the time someone turns thirty? Why couldn't Sora just go through life doing what he wants to do without anyone pressuring him? Sora leaned back in his chair that looked up at the paopu fruit charm that hung up in the classroom.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

 _Sora shoved the last of his clothes into the large suitcase and zipped it tight. It was so tight that it could pop open any minute. He didn't care though. Sora believed in packing everything in as little suitcases as possible. His eyes travelled around the now, empty room. The only thing left was the cream-colored walls that he first laid his eyes on when he first moved into the apartment five years ago. All of the furniture he once had was sold, and everything else that was worth keeping was already shipped from Destiny Islands to Twilight Town._

" _You got everything packed?" Sora's mother, an older woman with short hair that curled at the end, asked as she walked into his bedroom._

 _Sora nodded and rubbed his hands together. "I think so." He paused and put a hand to his chin. "I feel like I'm missing something though…"_

 _Mrs. Hikaru laughed. "Here," she said reaching into her purse. After fumbling through, she pulled out two necklaces, each one containing half a paopu fruit. "Take these with you. They will be a little piece of home."_

" _Thanks, Mom." Sora said taking the charms and packing him in his backpack. He took a look at his phone. "Well, we better get going. My flight's in two hours."_

" _Yeah…" Mrs. Hikaru said softly._

 _Sora sighed as he saw his mother's expression fade. "Mom, you know I can't stay here."_

" _I know, I know, it's just that...this is the first time you've really been away from home for an extended period of time."_

" _Hey, I'll be fine, don't you worry." Sora said pulling his suitcase towards the door to his bedroom. "Besides, it's only temporary. Once I get back on my feet, I'll be right back."_

 _Mrs. Hikaru sighed. "Maybe. You've found a job, at least, but maybe, hopefully you'll settle down, meet a lovely young lady-"_

" _-Why do you always do that?" Sora asked defensively._

" _Do what?"_

 _Sora exhaled deeply and paced around the bedroom. "Anytime I think about wanting to make changes in my life, you always have to bring the subject of 'meeting someone' into it! Is there anything wrong with just focusing on myself? Is there?"_

 _Mrs. Hikaru stayed silent. She had never seen her son get so angry with her. Even back when he was in high school, the two of them got along rather well. Sora sighed and shook his head before walking over and sitting in the corner. He started to feel nauseous. Now, it seemed like the idea to move to Twilight Town sounded like a bad one. He brought his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Mrs. Hikaru walked over and sat on the floor next to her son. She hated seeing him miserable._

" _Sora, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." She apologized and wrapped her arm around Sora. "I just...want you to have a great, happy life, you know?"_

" _I want it too! Why do you think I'm trying to leave? I can't stay here!" Sora choked out. "There's...nothing here for me."_

" _Except for your family."_

 _Sora sighed and shook his head. "Mom, I love you, and you're great, but...this is one problem you can't fix for me."_

" _I know." Mrs. Hikaru's eyes welled up. "It's hard, as a mom, having to watch your child suffer like this, no matter how old they are." She locked her hand with Sora's. "It's been two years since...well…"_

" _Yeah…" Sora nodded as he felt a lump in his throat. "I've tried, and I've tried, but I can't seem to get over her…" He leaned against the wall. "Destiny Islands, there's just too many painful memories here. Our first meeting, our first date, first kiss, our wedding...everything…" His eyes shut as the painful pit in his stomach continued to worsen. "I can't just let it go…"_

" _You will get through this. I know you will, and one of these days, you will be the same happy Sora you were years ago." Mrs. Hikaru kissed him on the cheek. "I just don't want you to give up so quickly."_

" _I can't make any promises…but I'm gonna try."_

 _Mrs. Hikaru pulled Sora into a hug and she continued to sit on the ground and hold him the way she used to when he was younger._

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"Nothing's changed…" Sora said to himself as he stared up at the ceiling.

The rest of the day dragged on. In fact, Sora didn't even really feel like being enthusiastic about the lab like he was during his morning classes, especially during the fifth period. That period was the worst out of all of his classes. The kids were disruptive, they didn't do their homework, and they did poorly on the exams. This particular day, Sora didn't feel like dealing with the sixth period class. He sent them to the lab with their worksheets before returning back to grading papers from the early classes.

When class was done for the day, Sora had the students turn in their lab sheets before being done with school for the day. He was glad to be finished for the day. While the morning was fine, the afternoon always made the days difficult. Sora checked some emails and saw that he had gotten one from Riku. _Hey, sorry if I weirded you out earlier,_ Sora read in his mind. _I usually have Guys' Night on Saturday nights. You should come hang with the guys sometime._ Sora sighed. As much as he didn't want to, he figured that it'd be better for him than being alone. _Sure,_ Sora typed back. _Shoot me a text next time you guys are getting together._ As he finished his email, the phone rang.

"Room 107, Mr. Hikaru speaking."

"Yes, Mr. Hikaru, I need you to explain to me about my kid's last test grade."

Sora sighed and looked towards his computer. "Alright, student's name?" The parent gave Sora the first and last name of his son. He looked at the exam of the student. "Oh...well, the exam says it all. He got majority of multiple choice questions wrong, the fill in the blank questions were incorrect, and he didn't explain his answer in the essay questions correctly."

"I say that's a load of bullshit! You've been failing my kid all month long! You got something against a kid who's gay?"

"No! Of course not! I treat all of my students fairly!" Sora argued, his voice raising and his grip on the test tightening. "That's an easy way for me to get fired!"

"Well, that's exactly what you deserve! You know, my kid is not that good in science! Why don't you help him?"

Sora groaned and hid his face in his hands. "I've told the students in the beginning that if they needed more help than what was covered in the class, they can come to me before or after school!"

"That may be, but my kid has gone on record to say that anytime he's needed help, you always say, 'you're too busy'!" The parent yelled. "You deserve to be fired!"

With that, the parent hung up the phone before Sora had a chance to say anything else. His head started pounding almost like someone was smacking it with a rock. Sora could feel his blood boiling. He slammed the phone back down before resting his face in his hands. He let out a loud groan before gathering all of his things, and storming out of his classroom. It didn't matter that he was supposed to stay until around 4:00 grading papers and being available for students who needed help. The only thing Sora needed was to get out of there as soon as possible. It was students like the ones from his sixth period class and parents like the one he just spoke on the phone with that made his job miserable.

Sora hurried out to his car and sat in it. He turned the key in the ignition and turned on the radio. The radio hosts were doing a segment where they talked about the importance of relationships and how to maintain a healthy one. It was an interesting segment in the sense that it wasn't just covering romantic relationships, but also friendships. Sora sat and listened the radio and surprisingly felt inspired by it. He dug into his wallet and pulled out the business card that Kairi gave him the first time he visited her. After staring at it for a solid minute, he pulled out his phone and began to dial her phone number.

"Dr. Uchida's office, Dr. Uchida speaking."

Sora froze for a minute. "Uh...hi, Dr. Uchida…"

"Yes? Who am I speaking with?"

"Sora Hikaru…"

Kairi gasped. "Oh! Hello there, Sora! How are you?"

"Uh..fine...I guess…"

"Well, how can I help you?"

Sora sighed. "I know this is last minute, but do you have any open slots for today?"

"Oh Sora...I'm afraid not. I'm about to see my last patient for the day and then I have my office hours." Kairi answered, disappointed.

"I understand…" He said, his voice choking up.

"Sora? Is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry," Sora softly said. "I just...really need someone to talk to…and I have nobody else to talk to."

Kairi sighed. "Okay, tell you what. Come in at 4:00. I'm gonna see my last scheduled patient and then you can come in after that and we can talk."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked eagerly.

"Yes, I can answer emails at home if I need to."

Sora smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Uchida. I'll be right over."

"I'll see you soon, drive safely." Kairi said before hanging up the phone.

Sora exhaled deeply and hung up his phone. He backed out of the school parking lot and drove down to the health center faster than he ever had before.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I just wanted to put a little disclaimer that I should've put in the beginning of the fanfic, but I guess better late than never, right?**

 **DISCLAIMER: This fanfic deals with sensitive topics. I have done my research to keep this story as authentic as possible, but I am not a licensed Psychologist. Any advice given in these chapters is based on advice I'd give friends or family and should be treated as fiction.**

Chapter 6: Behind Closed Doors

Kairi typed away at her computer answering an email. It was 4:15 and she had finished seeing all of her schedule patients for the day. Her eyes grew heavy as she stared at the computer screen. It had been a very long day and she was exhausted. The temptation to leave early had never been greater, especially with the weather cooling off now that Twilight Town was now in the second week of October. Kairi often kept the windows open during her 'office hours' in the morning and afternoon because the breeze just felt so nice and the leaves were now starting to change color.

The phone rang and Kairi was notified that Sora had arrived at the front office. She walked out and called him in. She didn't know what to think when she saw him. He looked like he was more indistress than he was when she saw him at his first appointment. Setting all judgement aside, Kairi led Sora into her office treating it as just another average day with a patient.

"Sorry," Sora apologized as he took a seat on the couch. "I know you said I had a free session, so I thought now was a good time to use it."

"No problem, that's what I'm here for." Kairi said as she took her notepad and sat across from him.

"Are you sure I'm not intruding?"

Kairi smiled. "I'm positive. Whatever I have to do on the computer, I can take care of at home."

Sora sighed and leaned back. "Okay…"

"Now, you sounded very distressed on the phone, so I just want you to air out whatever it is you're feeling."

"I just…I can't take it anymore!" Sora finally yelled. Kairi felt herself shake slightly at Sora's sudden outburst.

Kairi gripped her notepad tightly. "Please, explain."

"Do you know what it's like? Busting your ass off and not being appreciated for the hard work you do?"

"Sora…" Kairi softly said, staring down at her notepad.

Sora shook his head and hid his face in his hands. "I feel like that's all I ever do! I work hard for my kids and all I do is get yelled at by parents who are just as worthless! I'm so tired of this act! Do you know how hard it is pretending to act like everything is okay when in reality, you're just miserable inside and feel like you can't talk to anybody about it because at this point, you feel like you're beating a dead horse?"

"Yes…I understand what you're going through…"

Kairi felt like her stomach had formed a knot in it. Suddenly, unpleasant thoughts of Vanitas began flowing her mind again. She started to be reminded of all those times where she would achieve so much in one day including taking care of a baby Yuki while also getting her homework done and housework done, but Vanitas never seemed to acknowledge or let her know that he appreciated what she did. Kairi's mouth began to feel dry as she suddenly started to wonder how long it had been since she last talked about her resentment towards Vanitas to a friend or family member because she felt ashamed that years later, she still wasn't over it.

Sora sighed, his anger levels decreasing. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have burst out like this…" He kept his head low. "It's just that, I feel...trapped."

"Trapped? How so?"

"Like, I want to change, but I feel like I've run out of options. I thought seeing a professional would solve my problems, but I don't even know if that's working…"

Kairi frowned. As if she didn't already deal with her own insecurities, now she was basically being told that her services were useless to Sora. Was he the only one who thought this? Did he even truly mean this? _No, he's just upset, right?_ Kairi decided to brush what Sora said aside and give him the benefit of the doubt. She had to remember that a lot of her patients don't expect therapy to be a timely process. Kairi shut her eyes and took a deep breath expecting something else to come out of Sora's mouth. Instead, there was complete and utter silence.

"Well, if I can be honest here," Kairi spoke up. "Recovery doesn't happen over time. If you want it to be truly effective, we have to analyze the fine details of your situation, and then build off of those."

Sora turned his face away from her. "I just hate feeling this way all the time. I hate waking up in the morning and wondering if that's gonna be the last day I live or if I'm gonna continue."

Kairi's heart skipped beats. "How often does this occur?"

"Almost every other day."

"So…" Kairi could've sworn she began trembling. "With you having these suicidal thoughts, have you acted upon them at all?"

Sora sighed. "Please, excuse me." He stood up in front of Kairi and lifted his shirt, tears welling in his eyes. Kairi's eyes widened at what could only be a large scar that started at the side of his stomach and was about six inches long.

"Oh my god…" She fought back tears that formed in her eyes.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

Kairi shook her head. "No, not at all. It's just that…" Her eyes stared down at her lap. "I never knew the severity of this. You didn't mention this last time you visited."

"It's not usually something you talk about with other people." Sora said crossing his arms.

"But it makes it easier for me to help you if you share everything with me."

Sora shook his head and leaned back against the couch. "Doesn't matter. What's the point in all of this?"

"This? As in, life?"

"We're all gonna die one day anyway, so why are we busting our ass so much?"

On one hand, Sora had a good point. On the other hand, Kairi found herself becoming afraid, not necessarily for her own safety, but for Sora's. He seemed so calm and nonchalant, the complete opposite of when she saw him the last time at the chinese restaurant.

"Well…" Kairi began. She didn't exactly know how to answer this question. "I guess the point is that you only have one life, and you want to live it the best you can. You want to live it with the people you love, with a job you enjoy, in a location that makes you feel like home. Life has its bumps, but that doesn't mean you should give up. Life is like…" She pondered for a moment. "Life is like...like a videogame. You may cruise on through that game, but sometimes, you'll run into that puzzle or that boss that is more difficult to deal with. Doesn't mean you should give up, right? You gotta overcome it, and once you do, you'll feel more satisfied and if anything, like in an RPG, you'll have gained experience and grown from it and can help others with that same problem, you know?"

Sora silently laughed and shook his head. "That's funny."

"Excuse me?" Kairi asked, slightly offended at his reaction.

"No, I mean, using video games as a metaphor for life. I never knew you were the type who would play."

"Oh! Yeah, I grew up playing Super Nintendo, and all that. My daughter plays them more than I do nowadays."

"Yeah? What's your favorite game?"

Kairi sighed and leaned back, smiling. "Anything Zelda. I LOVE Zelda. You sound like you have experience in the gaming world."

Sora smiled and rested his arms behind his head. "I play them regularly. It's one of my biggest outlets right now. It allows me to let out what I'm bottling up inside. I can either slash up a bunch of enemies," he said grabbing a pen and imitating sword slashes. "Or I can get invested in a really good storyline, like Final Fantasy, or there's one I'm playing right now on the Switch called Octopath Traveler. It's made by the same company that did Final Fantasy, and it's really well done."

Kairi perked up. "Really? I may have to check that one out. My daughter has a Switch." She began writing stuff down. "But that's good to know, so you do have an emotional outlet for when you're feeling down on yourself."

"Yeah, but…" Sora's expression lowered back. "It's like an aspirin. It only does the job for so long before I begin to hurt again." He sighed. "Kinda similar to talking to you. It helps right now, but when I get home, it's like it never happened."

"Okay…" Kairi nodded as she wrote down on her notepad. "You said last time that you lived by yourself, correct?" Sora nodded. "It sounds like you need to be around people since you said talking helps."

Sora shot up from the couch. "I don't _need_ people! I'm perfectly fine on my own! All they do is try to tell me how to live my life, as if they know better!" He sighed. "Look, thank you for your time, but I should go. I've wasted enough of your time." He turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Sora! Wait!"

Suddenly, as he reached for the doorknob, Sora's body began to violently tremble. His breathing became heavy enough to the point where he couldn't get enough oxygen. Sora's vision became blurry, the room started spinning, and his face started losing color. The harder it was to breathe, the more Sora tried to fight it. He lost his balance and fell right onto his knees. Sora wrapped his arms around himself trying to control his shakiness, failing miserably. Kairi, her heart pounding against her chest, shot up from her desk and ran right over to him. She got down on her knees next to him.

"Doctor…"

Kairi rested her hand on his back. "Don't say another word." She took him by the arm and sat him against the door. "It's okay, it's okay," she softly said as she took Sora's hand in hers and started rubbing it with the other. Kairi could feel Sora's body shaking as if he was trapped on top of Mt. Everest. "Try to breathe-"

"-I can't!" Sora shouted.

"Sora, listen to me," Kairi said as her grip on his hand tightened. "You're going to get through this, but I need you to breathe in through your nose, and out your mouth, okay?" Sora, despite staring down at the ground, nodded. "Now breathe in," Kairi inhaled with Sora. "Now, hold it for a few seconds, and then out your mouth. Sora exhaled deeply. He was still shaking, but it had started to slow down. "Do it again, breath in, and then out your mouth." Kairi repeated the cycle over and over again with Sora until he was able to breathe normally again. "There we go, can you breathe now?"

Sora nodded, his body still trembling. "Yeah." He looked up, his eyes red from tears, and locked them with Kairi's. "Please...don't leave me…"

Kairi shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to leave." She sat down next to Sora and began to rub his back while still keeping her hand locked with his. "You're okay, nothing's gonna happen to you."

"For now…" Sora said hiding his face from her. "Besides, if anything did happen to me, nobody would care."

"Sora, you know that's not true."

"How would you know?"

Kairi sighed. "Well, I know you've only started recently seeing me, but based on our...well… _unusual_ encounters, you seem like a really great person who is just trying to get help to get his life back on track." There was a pause. Sora wiped the tears away. "Am I wrong?"

Sora shook his head. "You're...actually right."

"So, who am I to agree with you that nobody would care when in reality, I would care." Kairi asked. "There's at least one person who cares about you."

"You're supposed to care. It's part of your job."

"Actually, believe it or not, we're not." Kairi leaned against the door and shook her head. "I shouldn't be saying this, so I'm trusting you to keep this strictly confidential between us, but when we're giving advice, we have to keep things as much of an objective point of view as possible. Honestly, it's up to the Psychologist to care." She sighed and looked down at hers and Sora's locked hands. "I choose to care...because…"

Sora kept his face hidden. "Because…?"

Kairi took a deep breath, her eyes began to well. "Because…" She quickly wiped away the tears. "That's...just how I am. I've always been a caring person growing up. That's why I chose to go into this field. It allows me to care about people and help them with their problems." She shrugged her shoulders. "Different people do what they do for different reasons, and Psychology is no different."

"Kairi…" Sora softly said as he locked eyes with hers again.

As they held each other's gaze, Kairi couldn't help but feel different to how she had felt only a few weeks earlier. Suddenly, it felt as if her heart was a stick of butter that was slowly melting in the heat of summer. Inside her head, any thoughts of Sora possibly terminating his own life sounded more heartbreaking than it should've. Kairi could feel her stomach twist as his words echoed through her mind. Him referring to her by her first name sent an unpleasant shock through her body that felt like something had just stabbed her in the back. In her two years of being a licensed Psychologist, she had never wanted to help a patient more in her entire life.

"Yes?"

"Thank you…" Sora's grip on Kairi's hand tightened. "For not leaving me…"

Kairi sighed and smiled. "I told you, I wouldn't leave you unless you told me to."

Sora looked up at the time and saw that it was now about 5:00. "Well, I guess my one free session is up." He began to stand up slowly. "I won't hold you any longer."

"Wait," Kairi stood up with him. "I don't want you to leave unless you're okay."

"I'm okay. I'm still a little shaken up from the panic attack, but other than that, I'm okay enough to drive myself home." Sora smiled and shook her hand. "Thanks for the free session. I'll see you later this week, on the 12th, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "But…?"

"Sora, I really want to help you with whatever it is you're going through, and I don't want my limited availability to hinder you from getting that help." Kairi sighed, gripping her hands together tightly. "So, I normally wouldn't do this, but would you like to come in every Friday at 4:00?"

"That really sounds great, but I can't afford that much counseling. My insurance only covers part of the cost."

Kairi shook her head. "I'm not going to charge you."

Sora's eyes widened. "What?"

"4:00 is usually when I finish with my last appointment for the day and then I spend the last hour doing work on the computer, so you'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm taking an advantage of you."

"Like I said," Kairi said as she began packing up her bag to leave. "I normally don't do this, but I'll do it for you. Just make sure you're here promptly by 4:00."

Sora nodded. "Okay, I'll be there, Fridays at 4:00." He shook his head and laughed. "I feel like I should pay you though."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Fine, you only have to pay for the first appointment of the month."

"Deal," Sora smiled and shook Kairi's hand once more. "By the way, random question, how old are you?"

"I'm 29, why?"

"Because you're the youngest Psychologist I've seen in this building, and in your case, the...prettiest." Sora said rubbing the back of his head.

Kairi began blushing. "Oh, thank you!" She laughed nervously as the two of them walked out of the office, Kairi locking it behind her. "I'm still kinda new to this. A lot of the Psychologists here have been doing it for more than five years. I've only been doing it for two. I graduated with my PsyD degree when I was 26, after eight years of school, trained for a year, and then, now I'm here!"

Sora's eyes widened. "Wow, I thought you had to be in school for like, more than ten years or something."

"Well, sometimes. I powered through my Bachelor's Degree." Kairi and Sora walked out of the Behavior Health Center and took the elevator down. "I got approved for early acceptance, so I started during my final semester of high school. Then, I took classes during a couple summers."

"Wow, that sounds tough."

Kairi shook her head as the two of them stepped out of the elevator. "That was the _easy_ part compared to what happened after my Bachelor's." She found herself at her car right away after exiting the building. "Well, here's my car. It was good talking to you."

"Yeah, same."

"Take care, okay?" Kairi asked, a smile growing on her face. Sora returned it and nodded. "I'll see you this Friday."

Sora smiled and nodded. "Right, Friday."

Kairi turned away from Sora to unlock her car only to pause in her tracks and face him once more. "You know, you have a _really_ nice smile."

"Uh...do I?" He scratched the back of his head, looking away blushing.

"Yeah, it's almost...contagious."

Sora softly laughed resting his arms behind his head. "I'll remember that if you ever start feeling sad."

Kairi bit down on her lip. She brushed some hair behind her ear as she stepped backwards, unintentionally bumping into her car. "Crap! I guess I have a way of backing into things, don't I?" She shook her head, snapping herself back to reality. "Well, I gotta go for sure now, take care!"

Sora waved goodbye before walking the opposite direction towards his car. Kairi hopped into her car and began driving. During the whole time, she couldn't help but ponder on what she had to said to Sora before they parted ways. _'You have a nice smile? God, I sounded so weird and stupid…'_ she thought to herself as she stared out the windows giving her a perfect view of the highway. _'Then again, who am I to lie to myself and say his smile isn't attractive?'_ Kairi immediately felt her cheeks flush red. _'If I remember correctly, didn't he say I was pretty earlier? Sure! Get a compliment, give a compliment, that's how it works!'_ She giggled to herself as she peeked at herself in the mirror, actually appreciating her look for once. _'I guess it truly is contagious. I'm only thinking about it and I can't help but smile myself. God, I'm such a dork!'_

Kairi gasped as a certain thought popped into her head. It had occurred to her that she had just offered to see Sora once a week indefinitely…

"Oh my god...I'm screwed…" She groaned.

 **Author's Note: So, guess who came down with acute tonsillitis and is out of work for the next few days? THIS GIRL! On the upside, I have more free time to work on fanfics, fanart, and Octopath Traveller (which is an AMAZING game and EVERYONE should play it!). Speaking of fanart, I did a sketch of Yuki and posted it on my Instagram(name is on my profile page) in case any of ya'll wanna see what she looks like ^_^ Anywho, thanks ya'll for reading and leave a review please! ;D**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: An Outlet

Kairi pulled into the driveway that night after she and Sora parted ways. It was Tuesday, and Sora was due back in to see her that Friday. That would mean a whole two days without contact. His breakdown in the office only sent worrying chills through her spine. Would Sora be okay for the next couple days? Was he going to be okay seeing Kairi only once a week? For whatever reason, Sora was a patient that had Kairi worried off the job more than any other patient.

"Guys! I'm home!" Kairi called out as she stepped into the house. There was no answer. She took one cycle through the house, finding nobody, before she finally texted Namine.

' **Hey, where are you and Yuki?'** She texted.

' _ **Oh crap! Sorry, I forgot to text you! I went and picked up Yuki after soccer practice and we were craving pizza, so we're at the pizzeria right now. You want us to bring you anything?'**_

' **Nah, it's fine. Thanks.'**

Kairi sighed as she set her phone down on the kitchen counter. Had she known Yuki wanted pizza for dinner, she would've just ordered it in and they all could've eaten it together. Kairi looked at the time, it was already almost 6:00. She had hoped that Yuki and Namine didn't stay out too late. It was a school night and Yuki would've had homework to do. Yet, the homework wasn't even the issue. Yuki was in the first grade. She couldn't have had that much to do, right? Namine surely had some housework to do, right?

Blossom scratched at the door, begging to come in and snapping Kairi out of her train of thought. She opened the door and watched Blossom walk right past her and into the kitchen where she began to munch on her dog food. Kairi couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat, almost as if she were really sensitive to the fact that her own dog didn't want to sit with her. _Am I just a burden to be around nowadays?_ She thought as she hurried upstairs with her head throbbing. _Is it too much to ask for my family after a long day at work?_ Her thoughts bounced throughout her mind, echoing as if they were yelling.

Kairi ran into her bathroom and slammed the door behind her, confused and hurt. Why was she feeling this way? This wasn't the first time Namine has taken Yuki and done something with just the two of them.

 _Maybe a nice shower will make me feel better._ Kairi thought as she turned on the hot water. She began stripping off her clothes, only to come to a halt after removing her top, nearly exposing her torso. The painful sight in front of her made her skin crawl. Towards the side of her stomach, there it was, a scar that stretched out as far as about six inches. It was almost about the same size as the one Sora showed to her earlier. Her cold fingertips brushed along the scar that was a permanent reminder of her past. She started to remember what Sora had said earlier. _We're all gonna die anyway, so what's the point?_ His voice echoed through her mind as Kairi pressed her hand against the scar.

Kairi could suddenly hear sirens and could hear multiple voices yelling. She could suddenly see bright lights shining her face and blurred faces of strangers that were hovering over her. She could suddenly feel the same pressure of these same strangers pressing against her stomach and another one holding an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. It came rushing back to her. The racing adrenaline, the dizziness, the possibility that _this could be the end_. Kairi's arms started to tremble as she wrapped her arms around her half naked body and collapsed onto her knees. If felt as if her oxygen was being cut off.

For Kairi, it seemed like an endless cycle. She got up in the morning, went to work, came home, went to bed, and then did it all over again. It was a daily routine that done all while being emotionally drained from holding back whatever baggage she had. She was a mother. She had to be strong for Yuki. She was a doctor. She had to be strong for patients. _Sora..._ Kairi remembered that she had to be strong for him. He was counting on her to be there, to help him through what he was going through. _I can't...be like this._ She struggled to stand back up.

"Mom!" Yuki's voice echoed from downstairs.

Kairi let out a gasp, reacting to the sudden break in silence. "I'm coming, sweetie!" She scrambled to put her top back on and turned off the water.

"We brought you home some pizza!" Namine said as Kairi hurried down the stairs and met the two of them. She raised an eyebrow after making eye contact with her sister. "You okay? You don't have a lot of color in your face."

"Oh! Right!" Kairi laughed while brushing hair behind her ear. "Probably because I haven't eaten in a while." She took the pizza box that Namine handed and opened it up to a fresh pepperoni pizza with pineapple and olives. "This looks great! Thanks you two!" Kairi sat down at the table with Yuki and started to eat. "How was practice?"

Yuki crossed her arms and rested her head on the table. "Practice was good. School was dumb."

"How so?"

"There's this new boy in my class and he's an asshole!"

"Yuki!" Namine and Kairi both frowned at Yuki's use of language.

"But HE IS!" Yuki stood up from the table and threw her arms up in the air. "This boy is named Koga and he keeps on poking me in the back in class!"

"Oh...does he?" Kairi asked crossing her arms.

"And then at recess, he kept on tagging me and then running away!"

Namine rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It sounds like he likes you. I remember when boys used to do that to me."

"I think that's the stupidest logic I've ever heard…"

"But Kairi, you remember how boys are like at that age."

Kairi groaned and stood up. "This is the problem! Parents are teaching our children that it's okay for boys to pick on and tease little girls when they like them and parents are telling their sons that it's okay to treat girls like that!" She pulled some fruit juice out of the fridge and vodka out of the cabinet. "When did it suddenly be okay for boys to provoke girls into aggravation as a form of affection, huh?"

Namine twiddled her fingers. "Kairi, I didn't think you'd ever make such a big deal about this."

"Well, it's boys like Koga that turn into boys like Vanitas…"

Yuki sunk into her seat. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"No…" Kairi shook her head and sat back down next to Yuki. "I'm not angry with you at all." She rubbed her daughter's back. "I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all. Why don't you go get changed while your aunt and I talk?"

"Okay." She nodded. Yuki took her backpack and hurried upstairs leaving the two ladies alone.

Namine exhaled deeply. "Kairi, I'm so sorry for taking Yuki out and forgetting to text you. I'm sure you were freaking out."

"It's fine, really. Don't worry about it." Kairi said as she took hers and Namine's pizza boxes and put them in the fridge. "I smell sausage on this pizza. You don't like sausage."

"I know. I had a craving. Anyway, are you sure everything's okay? You seriously look like you're gonna pass out."

"I'm fine. I just had a rough day at work."

Namine sighed. "I think you and Yuki need to take some type of vacation sometime."

"I can't. I work. I can't leave my patients. They need me."

"But _you_ need to have a life! You spend practically your whole life dealing with everyone else's problems. You need to take some time for yourself and your family. Go take Yuki on a vacation, go hang out with Riku, you know he's been wanting to hang out with you for a while."

"Because this IS my life!" Kairi yelled. "That's all I've basically committed to be! I've basically become somebody that is always _needed_. Everybody needs me to solve their problems, Yuki needs me to be a good parent, our family needs me to be involved with the family, can't I _need_ somebody for once? Everyone brags about the 'strong independent women who don't need a man'. Well, you can only be strong for so long, you know?"

Namine watched as Kairi began pacing back and forth before finally grabbing her wallet and slipping her shoes back on. "Kairi, where are you going?"

"To find an outlet!" She yelled before slamming the front door shut and leaving a stunned Namine.

Kairi got back in her car and drove down the near empty roads downtown. She tried her best to keep her composure. The last thing she needed was to get into a car accident because her driving was impacted by her emotions. The farther she drove from her house, the more she had no clue where she wanted to go. The longer she drove, the more impaired her vision became. The more impaired her vision became, the more dizzy she felt. Kairi finally pulled over to the side of the road and put on her emergency flashers before finally breaking down and crying.

How was it possible to get to a point where Kairi didn't know what she wanted? Was she even happy with her current life? Did all of those years of graduate school suddenly feel like such a waste? Did she make the wrong decision in choosing to become a parent despite the fact that she obviously wasn't ready when Yuki was born? Kairi rested against the steering wheel and hid her face in her arms as she continued crying.

Kairi jumped at the sound of a knock on her window. She looked through the window with her glassy eyes and saw a familiar face. It was the last person she expected to run into at this time on a Tuesday night. He had a very concerning look on his face and looked like he was dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie.

"Riku?" Kairi muttered as she rolled down her window.

Riku cocked his head to side. "Kairi, you okay? I saw your car was pulled over and wanted to make sure your car wasn't broken down."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She turned her face and briskly wiped her tears, trying not to sniffle, but failing miserably.

"Kairi, you're crying." He jogged around and got into the passenger seat. At this point, Kairi didn't even bother trying to hide her tears. Riku knew her better than anyone outside her family. Riku smiled warmly at her and rested his hand on her back. "What's wrong, Kairi? Talk to me."

Kairi hid her face in her hands as she began sobbing. "I can't! Because I don't know what I want!" She shook her head. "I feel like day after day I go through the motions and there's no satisfaction anymore! I don't even know if life's worth it anymore...My only purpose in life is to be there when someone _needs_ me. Other than that, I'm nothing! I can't always be there for everyone and I can't do everything by myself!"

Riku sighed heavily and took her hands in his. "You don't believe that, Kairi. I know you don't. You're one of the strongest people I know. You've always managed to pull through."

"I know...but, I'm exhausted, emotionally." She held her head low. "For the first time in my life, I feel like I _need_ someone...I need a light to pull me out of my dark moments…"

"Kairi, I wish I could understand what you're going through, I really do, but the fact is, I can't because...I've never gone what you've been through, or at least at the same level. But...I'm always gonna have your back." Riku began rubbing his hand up and down her back. "This would be the part where I hug you, but I'm sweaty from running, so I doubt you wanna hug me right now."

Kairi softly laughed and wiped her tears. Much like how he knew her so well, he always had a way of drying her tears. She smiled, feeling her face flush pink as Riku brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "Thanks, Riku." Her eyebrows lowered as she smile mischievously. "So...who is this new Riku and where's the old one? You were never like this in high school and college."

"Heh, I try too hard to be the role model." He snickered. "As I've grown over the years, I've found it's just easier to say whatever's in my heart instead of my mind."

"Well, I like this new Riku."

Riku smiled warmly at Kairi, lowering his eyes until they had a sort of mesmerizing feel to them. She never really saw Riku as anything more than a friend, but for the first time that night, she felt like their relationship had a sort of intimacy to it. Could've it been the fact that they were sitting in Kairi's car with the lights dimmed all alone and Riku was giving her the same eyes that he would always give every single girl he tried to flirt with in high school? Most likely, but for the moment, Kairi didn't mind imagining that they were something more than friends. When she was younger, she always dreamed of marrying a wonderful guy and starting a family with him, and while she did manage to get the daughter she always wanted, the former left much to be desired and even damaged her to a degree to where she couldn't even trust men outside of Riku, Roxas, and her family.

"Hey." Riku softly said as he brushed Kairi's shoulder. "You feel like going down to IKOP and blowing my entire workout on pancakes and coffee?"

Kairi giggled. "You know I NEVER turn down coffee!"

"Okay, so my treat, then!" He said buckling his seatbelt. "Lucky for us, we're not far from there."

"Yes!"

They drove down the road to IKOP, also known to them as the International Kingdom of Pancakes, the perfect place to bum around and eat comfort food with a friend. Kairi had never been more excited to eat pancakes with Riku more in her entire life, especially when she thought back to a time in college when they challenged each other to see who can drink the most coffee before having to use the restroom. Kairi won every single time. Times had changed and so did they. Now, it was more about being in the moment for them, and if Kairi was enjoying anything about this moment, it was Riku's company.

Kairi and Riku both ordered their favorite pancakes, the strawberry cheesecake pancakes. Fresh berries with cheesecake crumbles? How could they not enjoy those? Riku began devouring his pancakes that were swimming in syrup while Kairi nibbled on hers. If she could be honest, she didn't have much of an appetite, but didn't want Riku to be the only one eating and wasn't about to turn down his offer to hang out. Kairi stabbed her fork into the fresh berries and focused on those. She absolutely loved strawberries and enjoyed them more than the actual pancakes.

"How is your food?" Riku asked with his mouth full.

Kairi nodded as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "They're great, thanks. You really didn't have to do this."

"Hey, it's not every day we get to just get away from life and chill like we used to."

"You're not wrong about that." She rested her hand under her chin. "Sometimes I wish it could be like the old days all the time."

Riku scoffed. "You and me both. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like being a coach and all, but the soccer moms…" He checked both sides of the restaurant before leaning forward. "Between you and me, you're the only mom who hasn't tried to sleep with me…"

Kairi's eyes widened as she nearly spit out her coffee. "Seriously? At least half of those women are married, aren't they?"

"That doesn't stop them from trying. I'm the only kids' soccer coach who is an attractive male that isn't gay."

"Wow, you're such a stud…" Kairi sarcastically said as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey you're easy on the eyes too, you know." Riku said as he sideyed her. Kairi bit down on her lip as she turned her face away, avoiding Riku from seeing her flushed face. "Hey, guess I finally got that date with you I wanted, huh?"

"A date…?"

"We're in a restaurant, I bought you food and coffee, and we're having meaningful conversations, aren't we?"

Kairi sighed in defeat. "I guess...you're right." She leaned back, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Okay, fine! You win, we're finally on that date you've been asking for."

"I'm finally victorious!" Riku overdramatically said as he curled his hand to a fist.

"Easy there, Romeo. The night's still young." She was about to sip on her coffee when she noticed there was something different about Riku physically. "Hey, I just realized you cut your hair."

Riku ran a hand through his hair that was shorter, but spiked in the back. "Oh yeah, not gonna lie, I kinda cut it for two reasons. One, I was tired of it getting in the way at practice, and two, I knew it'd repel the soccer moms. For whatever reason, they always found me more attractive with longer hair." He heavily sighed and shook his head.

"I like it a lot, actually. You actually look kinda cute."

"Thanks. You'd be the first to say that."

Kairi found herself stuck in Riku's mesmerizing gaze. The two completely different sides of her brain were having a fight over what was happening. One side being totally into it while the other wondering what was Kairi thinking when only yesterday, Riku was just a good friend of hers. Kairi stared down at her plate. She was practically done, except for Riku knew how much she loved strawberries, so he scooped the last strawberry on his plate and dragged it across onto Kairi's plate before finishing up. Kairi couldn't help but smile. To the average person, it seemed like no biggie, but to her, it meant much more.

Riku paid for their meal before walking out. It was much later than it was when they first met up on the side of the road, but neither of them seemed to take notice. It was also a lot chillier. Riku would've offered Kairi his hoodie if she wasn't just walking to her car that was fifty feet away from the door. He followed her out and opened the driver door for her. In a way, Kairi felt silly just at the very idea of Riku treating her like a proper lady since growing up, they often hung out together like Kairi was "one of the guys", yet tonight, she realized just how different of a person he was from when they were younger and how much growing up he had done, especially since graduating college.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight." Riku thanked her. "I typically come here later at night when I feel like getting out and it gets a little lonely sometimes."

Kairi laughed and shook her head. "I should be thanking you. Thanks for putting me in good spirits tonight. I really needed it." She jerked her head towards the passenger seat. "Hop in, I'll drive you home."

"Nah, it's okay. I live a mile up the road, I can walk."

"Don't be ridiculous! It's forty degrees outside and you'll catch a cold if you haven't already from being outside while sweaty, now hop in."

"Yes, Mother." Riku teased before hopping in the car.

Much like Riku had said, he only lived a mile up the road, which only a couple minutes drive. Kairi pulled up to the gate and input the security code to be allowed into the complex. Despite how close they were, this was Kairi's first time at Riku's apartment complex. Between the two of them having busy lives, Riku just never got around to inviting her over. If Kairi could be honest, she could see why. It was far from the worst apartment complex in Twilight Town, but it was far from the best. It's what you would expect an underpaid high school gym coach to live in.

"Hey," Kairi said as she turned off her car. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom before I head home? The coffee is REALLY hitting me fast."

Riku laughed. "As long as you admit that I win the competition this time."

"Okay, okay, you win!" She whined. "Please can I use your bathroom?"

"Of course."

Riku fumbled in his pocket for his keys and let him and Kairi into the apartment. Normally, Kairi would step in and take in her surroundings, but her body had other ideas. She dropped her coat, purse, and kicked off her shoes before running down the hall towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. While Kairi was in the bathroom, Riku went into his bedroom and began to change, removing his hoodie and the tanktop he was wearing underneath it. He threw them both to the other side and began searching through his closet in the hallway for a towel so he could take a shower.

After successfully relieving herself both physically and emotionally, Kairi was able to gather herself together. She took a look in the mirror and frowned at herself. It seemed to hit her that Riku saw something in her, but didn't understand what it was. She had problems and he knew that she had problems and they were problems he couldn't understand, so why would he express interest in a woman like her? Kairi ran her hands through her hair and fixed it up slightly before stepping out of the bathroom.

Just as she thought she had herself composed, Kairi saw Riku shirtless. He looked good, really good. In fact, no. He looked very sexy. _Dammit, Kairi, what's the matter with you?_ She mentally cursed herself. It wasn't like this was the first time she saw Riku shirtless. He had been shirtless around her multiple times, especially if they went to the beach during their summer vacations. This time was different. She appreciated his muscular build that was well defined. Kairi did her best not to stare, but it wasn't working out that great in her favor, and Riku, knowing her as well as he did, only gave him further permission to tease her about it.

"Too much? I can go put a shirt on if you'd like." Riku snickered.

Kairi shook her head quickly while her face flushed red. "No! Not at all! You're fine! I'm leaving anyway."

"Here, I'll walk you to the door."

Riku picked up her coat and purse and handed them to Kairi as she slipped her shoes back on. "Well, thanks again for tonight."

"Anytime." Riku said as he smiled and leaned in, kissing her cheek.

Kairi froze at the warm feeling of Riku's soft lips against her skin. There were so many things wrong and right with that feeling. One, it was her best friend kissing her goodnight, but also, it sent just the right amount of warm shivers throughout her body that she needed. Riku parted, but not all the way, leaving just a few inches between them. Kairi's breathing became uneven as Riku wrapped his arm around the small of her back and pulled her into a kiss. Not just any kiss, it was a kiss she never knew she wanted from him. He was definitely experienced. It also didn't help that he was already shirtless, which drove her hands to immediately start feeling him, only making her crave for more.

Riku wasted no time in indulging in this moment he had been working towards. A moan escaped his lips as he felt Kairi's soft cold hands rest on his broad shoulders and travel their way down his arms that were now supporting her back and head. Kairi opened her mouth slightly giving Riku permission to deepen their kiss. It seemed the longer they made out, the steamier it had gotten, almost to the point that Riku now had Kairi's leg wrapped around his waist with his hand caressing her thigh while his mouth shifted down to her neck.

"You wanna get more comfortable?" Riku asked leaving a trail of kisses.

Kairi nodded. "Yes…" She breathed out.

Riku snickered before he effortlessly picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. Kairi giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging on for dear life. As soon as they reached the bedroom, Riku flung her onto his bed and climbed on top of her, a much more comfortable alternative to the wall. Little moans escaped Kairi as Riku's hand travelled down below her waist and massaged her inner thighs. She shot a mischievous smile at him as soon as they stopped for air, giving him permission to take things further. She briskly removed her top and threw it to the side before flipping Riku onto his back allowing her to switch and be on top.

Kairi continued to heatedly make out with Riku as her hand slowly traced his build all the way down past his waistline. She slipped her hand underneath his sweat pants and sent herself down a stream that she was not gonna try and swim against. If Kairi's move was the warning signal, Riku flipping her back over so he was on top of her beginning to remove her skirt was game over for the both of them.

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Riku and Kairi lay there nude under the covers, catching their breath. Kairi was especially in need of some decompression. It had not only been good number of years since the last time she had sex, but also the last time she had GOOD sex. She knew exactly what she was getting into based on how he kissed and his performance was even better. Kairi pulled the covers up to her more to hide her shivering that always occurred after she finished. Riku leaned his head back and shut his eyes, also trying to catch his breath. He was athletic enough that he could go for quite a while, but even he had his limits.

"Wow...that was…" Kairi breathed out.

Riku wrapped his arm around her and snuggled her close. "Did I satisfy you?" He asked as he nuzzled his face against her cheek.

" _Very much_ …" She sighed before looking over and being met with another one of Riku's perfect kisses. Her exhaustion started to kick in as her eyes grew heavy and began to drift to sleep in his arms. "What time is it?" She muttered.

"Let me check…" Riku shifted and looked over at his phone. "It's about midnight now." He brought his arm back around Kairi and leaned down to kiss her again. "You should probably just stay the night since we both work early tomorrow." He suggested between kisses.

Kairi smiled and nodded before shutting her eyes. "Yep…" Her eyes shot back open within a second later. "Wait! It's midnight?" Kairi reached instinctively for her phone only to realize it was in her purse in the hallway. "Shit! I totally forgot! I left Yuki at home with Namine!" She frantically paced around Riku's bedroom putting her clothes back on.

"Kairi, are you-"

"-Yep! Perfectly fine, Riku!" She answered, her voice a pitch higher than normal. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta hurry because I have to start praying that my sister doesn't kill me for leaving my kid with her all night, so, thanks for the pancakes, the talk, the great sex, thanks, Riku!"

As soon as Kairi had all of her clothes on, she made a mad dash out of his bedroom and to the hallway to grab her coat, purse, and shoes. She half expected Riku to chase after her since she was pretty much leaving him on a last second notice and probably wanted an explanation, but much to her relief, he didn't. Or rather, he didn't have time to. Once her shoes were on, Kairi split out of the apartment and dashed over to her car that was still in the same parking lot that shouldn't have been in for as long as it was.

Kairi hopped into her car and began driving home. She wanted to get home as soon as possible and if she could be honest, she wanted to forget the whole thing even happened. _Did I seriously just sleep with Riku?_ Her head started throbbing. _Great! Wait until this gets around the field! Now I'll be known as "the mom who slept with the coach to get her kid in a striker position"._ Kairi curled her hand into a fist as the desire to pound something began increasing inside of her. Her heart started racing much like it had when she first left her house that evening. She pulled over into a parking lot in a shopping plaza and allowed herself to catch her breath.

"What am I doing?" Kairi asked herself. She held her head with her hands and screamed. "I'm such an idiot!" She thought leaving Riku would've helped her situation. If anything, she made herself feel worse. Not only does she now have sleeping with him on her conscience, but now she had the guilt of just running out on him when he was nothing but a good friend to her. "How can I fix other people's problems when I can't even fix my own?" She cried, sobbing in her hands, now regretting leaving Riku's house and not having him there for help her through this.

 _No...I can't. Running back to Riku's house won't change anything._ Kairi leaned back in her seat and looked at the time. It was past midnight. She didn't want to look at her phone for obvious reasons. Yet, she did. Kairi took out her phone and looked at her messages. Yep, there were a bunch of "Where are you?" and "Are you okay?" messages from Namine. Kairi had a feeling it was too late to message her back and that she'd be asleep by now. Namine was usually asleep by 10:30 on days where she worked the next morning. She came upon a message that she wished she saw an hour ago.

' _ **I know you're going through stuff right now and you're probably ignoring me because you need space. I really hope you're ok. You're scaring me. I'm gonna spend the night here so if you need me, wake me up, ok? I love you.'**_

"Thanks, Namine…" Kairi muttered to herself as she sighed in relief.

Kairi shut her eyes and took in deep breaths trying to calm herself down. She knew that Namine was still at the house. Riku had just texted her asking her if she was okay, to which she responded. Both of them checking on her gave her sense of relief that neither of them were angry with her. Well, Namine was surely somewhat pissed that Kairi didn't check in with her, but all things considered, she was more understanding that Kairi needed time to just cool down and find a way to channel her emotions, which is exactly what Kairi knew she need more than anything.

Then, she thought back to Sora. She remembered Sora's breakdown earlier that day, the one she helped him through, the one where she promised she would never leave him. Kairi thought about what Sora had mentioned to her that day. She remembered that he often used video games as an emotional outlet whenever he was feeling down on himself and it kept him distracted.

"An emotional outlet…" Kairi muttered as she looked on towards T-Mart, the largest retailer store in Twilight Town.

Taking a cue from Sora's emotional outlet, Kairi stepped out of the car and wandered into T-Mart. It wasn't busy, thankfully. Most of them were younger folks like college kids that were either buying junk for some time of hangout or doing some after work shopping. She remembered those days of getting out of work or class late at night and having to come shopping for groceries afterward. She ignored the grocery and clothing departments and walked straight to the electronics department. There were tons of video games on holiday season was coming up, so all the big releases were getting pushed in terms of promotion.

Kairi took a lap around the displays before she found a game that she had never seen before, but the name sounded very familiar. _Octopath Traveler..._ her mind read aloud. She remembered Sora mentioning that game during their session earlier. She also remembered how Sora mentioned that playing games didn't always work like he wanted them to, and that it was more like taking an aspirin that would wear off after a couple hours. Still, Kairi was desperate for something that could keep her mind at peace, even if it was only for a few hours a day, it was better than nothing.

The sales associate came by and got the copy for her out of the cabinet and checked her out so she could leave quicker. Kairi hurried out of T-Mart and back outside to her car. The drive home was finally successful and she was able to make it home safely. The house was dark by the time she got home. Both Namine and Yuki were asleep. As much as she appreciated Namine offering to be woken up, Kairi went ahead and let her sleep. Kairi kicked off her shoes and went over to her daughter's Switch, taking it off the dock before heading up the stairs. She poked her head into Yuki's room to check on her. She was still sleeping soundly.

Kairi assumed Namine had borrowed some of her sister's pajamas and was sleeping in the guest room. She was right since one of her sets of pajamas was missing from her drawers. After getting changed and hopping into bed, she booted up her new video game on the Switch. It didn't take long for her to get immersed. The music, the characters, the environment, Kairi was finally in her own little world with her headphones and nothing could distract her from the peace that was circulating her body at that moment.

 _I see what he's talking about..._ Kairi thought to herself. She paused the game and looked out at the night sky. She couldn't help but smile as she thought back to the warm innocent smile Sora gave her as he was waving goodbye to her early that night. It was a smile she could get used to to seeing a lot more.

Kairi softly giggled as she ran her hand up and down her arm. "Thanks, Sora."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Holy crap! I can't believe how long it's been since I updated this! And WHAT'S THIS? I PUT RIKAI IN A SOKAI FANFIC? Sorry everyone! Between life, dodging KH3 spoilers, and also having HUGE writer's block on this, time flew right by!**

 **Anywho, many thanks for your patience! This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I thought it'd be and the RiKai portion of the chapter was literally a last minute idea that popped in as I was writing. Hope the length made up for my absence!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Storm

The following Friday, Sora was due back in for another appointment with Kairi. She was looking forward to having him back in the office, especially since she had come up with what she considers to be the perfect strategy. Kairi looked out the window and heaved a heavy sigh when she saw that the sky was starting to cloud up. She loved having her window open and hated having to close it when it rained. Open windows gave her a sense of space and feel from the outside world. It always reminded her just how beautiful the world really was, even if it was only temporary.

Sora showed up to his appointment on time and his session with Kairi started off just like the past couple sessions he had with her. It was here that Kairi always ran into the biggest roadblock with Sora. He was good as expressing his emotions, but not good at actually recalling and talking about what's triggering him. This was where Kairi's strategy came into play. She walked over to her desk and pulled out a stack of notecards from the drawer that all had random words written on them.

"Okay now, this is a game that a lot of children's psychologists use." Kairi explained as she sat back down.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "You realize, I'm thirty, right?"

Kairi sighed. "Yes, and you realize you were supposed to keep record of every time you get triggered by something, right?"

"Fine, you got me there…"

"It's simple, I'm gonna hold up a card that has a word on it, and you're gonna say the first word you think of. I also want you to elaborate if you need or want to, so nod your head if you want me to move onto the next word, okay?"

Sora sighed and leaned forward. "Alright, let me have it."

Kairi started holding up notecards and reading the words. "Dog."

"Pluto."

"Tree."

"Palm tree."

"Blue."

"Ocean."

"Bird."

"Seagull."

"Rock."

Sora groaned. "Dr, no offense, but this is stupid!"

"Would you just trust me on this?" Kairi asked crossing her arms. Sora sighed and leaned back on the couch. "Just bear with me on this. Now once again, rock."

"Dwayne Johnson."

"Hey! I love that actor!" Kairi said perking up. "Did you see Moana? He was Maui in that movie."

Sora chuckled. "Yeah, I actually enjoyed that movie a lot. Reminds me of home."

"Okay, we're getting somewhere." Kairi said nodding. "Next word, cave."

"Drawings."

"Black."

"Hair."

"Island."

"Paopu fruit."

Kairi perked up. "Paopu fruit? I've never heard of that one before."

"Yeah, it's native to Destiny Islands. It's actually a big part of the culture. There's even a legend behind it." Sora said as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Care to share it?" Kairi asked as she set down her cards.

"It's kind of silly, but I guess it's better than playing the card game."

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 _There's a legend in Destiny Islands historia that the Paopu plays a part in how civilization started. A hundreds of years ago, the first island dwellers crash landed on the island. They were travelling in search of new land with a whole crew, but a terrible storm destroyed the ship and only left two travelers, a man and a woman. Unfortunately, the two of them were from feuding households and wanted nothing to do with each other. It started off as a story of 'every man for himself'. The man left the woman to fend for herself as he began to hunt for food, which was very scarce._

 _One day, while the man was hunting, he came across this star-shaped fruit that had a golden yellow color to it. The man was hungry and he knew this fruit was just what he needed. "There has to be more," he thought to himself. So, he hunted the island for more of these fruits, but there no more. He had come across what was potentially the first and only one of these special fruits. The man had to cherish it. "This fruit could be worth something!" He held onto the fruit and returned back to the beach where his shelter was built. This was a fateful trip to the beach that changed everything._

 _When the man returned to the beach, he saw that the woman was dying on the beach. She was starving, and dehydrated, and too weak to hunt for food, which she had failed to do all week. The man may have been from an opposing household, but he had a strong heart. His heart was strong enough to not leave a dying human. He took her to his shelter, he cooled her off with the water from the ocean, she gave him the fresh water that he had travelled every morning into the jungle for. Most importantly, he took the valuable fruit that he had found that morning, and cut in half. He fed half of it to her to replenish her energy. The nutrients from the fruit and water were enough to give her enough strength for her to say "thank you" to the man._

 _From then on, the man hunted for food to help her gain her strength back. As the time passed, the bond between them grew stronger and they started helping each other survive on the island. The woman planted the pit of the fruit into the ground in the hopes that it would grow and even more fruits would blossom. The two of them ended up falling in love with each other and decided to accept their fate that they were stuck on this island. They went to a secret cave and carved each other's faces on a wall to cement their vows for each other._

 _As the years passed, they gave birth to the next generation, to whom they would pass on their tale of how this special fruit brought the two of them together. They even named the fruit "Paopu", which means destiny, because these two lovers' destinies were intertwined thanks to this fruit. With the fruit receiving that name, the island was finally named Destiny Island. As more explorers found themselves lost on this island, the bigger the community grew and a new culture was born. The paopu trees started to grow every few years, and with each generation, the civilization began to grow and modernize itself. Much like how mankind evolved, so did the island._

 _Destiny Islands expanded and grew, but one thing that they never lost was the original legend of their beloved Paopu and how it was the reason that Destiny Islands was the way it was. On March 28, it's considered the "Day of the Paopu", because historians were able to trace the day that the first couple shared the fruit to that day. To this day, couples use paopu fruits as part of a ritual for weddings and each couple will share a paopu on that day to further symbolize their love. It was the love between two people with different destinies that started Destiny Islands._

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"So there you go," Sora said finishing his story.

Kairi sighed. "Wow, that's quite a story. You seem to know so much about it."

Sora chuckled. "I'm actually from Destiny Islands, and the man and woman who founded the island…those were my ancestors."

"No way! Really?" Kairi gasped. She looked down and blushed. "I never counselled someone who was famous."

"Oh, I wouldn't call it 'fame'." Sora laughed and shook his head. "I got treated like every other person, which was fine. My family and I wouldn't have liked the attention anyway." He shrugged.

"Well, thank you for sharing. That was actually a lot more romantic that I imagined."

Sora laughed as he rested his arms behind his head. "It's the tropical island thing. A lot of really good love stories happen on tropical islands." He flashed a cheesy grin. "There's a rumor that the cave where my ancestors first carved their faces still exists and you can still see the drawings. Or, there's one about two lovers where the guy had to set sail for a dangerous voyage, and his wife made him a charm in the shape of a Paopu made out of thalassa shells. She made it has a good luck charm to ensure a safe voyage. He held onto it the entire voyage and against all odds, he made it home safely. So, to this day, thalassa shells are 'good luck' to us."

"Wow," Kairi said looking out the window. "I'd love to see Destiny Islands one day. I never knew there was so much history to it."

"Well, maybe you will someday." Sora said smiling. "I have a bunch of thalassa shells that I used to gather when I lived there on the island. I can bring them for you if you'd like."

Kairi laughed. "I'd like that." She stared into Sora's eyes for a minute before picking her cards back up. "Okay, let's go back to the cards."

Sora sighed. "Do we have to? I liked telling stories more."

"Do you you have anymore stories you'd like to share?"

"Off the top of my head? Nope, but I'll come back with another one next time."

Kairi nodded. "Okay, challenge accepted. Now, your next word is, book."

"Journal."

"Sport."

"Blitzball."

"Storm."

Sora froze. All of a sudden, the sharp pain that would shoot all through his head whenever he was stressed or upset suddenly hit him. The only thing that would ease the pain is if he shut his eyes and lay down in complete darkness. Sora shut his eye and hide his face in his hands. Kairi, noticing a sudden change in his reaction, knew instantly that she triggered something painful. She stayed quiet. She wanted him to say what he felt. To her, it was important that Sora was heard. Sora shifted so he was lying down on the couch still with his eyes shut.

"Car accident…" He softly said.

Kairi nodded and took notes. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Sora shook his head. "I hate storms."

"Rain is what gives plants their chance to live."

"I know...still doesn't change the fact that I hate storms." Sora crossed his arms. "People don't know how to drive in storms. They think they can go a hundred miles per hour even if there's pounding rain and lightning all around them."

Kairi sighed. "It's the same with snow."

"It snows here?" Sora asked sitting up. Kairi nodded. "I'm sure it's beautiful."

"It is, but like the storms on your island, not everyone here knows how to drive in the snow."

Sora pondered for a moment before leaning back on the couch. "Have you ever lost someone in a car accident before?"

Kairi shook her head and stared at the ground. "No, but I was almost in one. _He_ was being reckless and almost got us killed…"

"Who?" Sora asked standing up.

"It's nobody, really. Anyway, did you wanna talk more about this topic or are you ready to move on?"

Sora sat back down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"Sora," Kairi walked over and sat next to him. "You haven't done anything wrong." Sora's eyebrows perked up as he looked over at her. "I don't want to push you into talking about something you're not comfortable with, so when you're ready, you let me know."

Sora stood up and walked over to the window. He could see the clouds coming in giving the warm-colored sky cover. The wind also began picking up. He suddenly started to hear thunder in his head. Sounds of lightning crashing echoed. It was almost as if he was looking at a monsoon that was occurring right outside the office even though there was nothing going on outside. Kairi sat there and waited for him to snap out of his train of thought, which seemed to be on a long journey.

"It was stormy, and dark outside. She was used to driving in stormy weather, so I thought she would be okay. Once the power had gone out though, that's when I started to worry. The rain was pounding against the windows in our apartment like bullets. In fact, there was one point in the night where I couldn't tell if it was raining or if someone was shooting a pistol outside. I tried calling her on her phone, but there was no answer. The static from the storm was too strong. I also figured that if she was driving, the last thing she wanted to do was answer her phone.

"I got a visitor from a police officer that night. 'Sora Hikaru', he said. 'There was an accident, and your wife was in it.'" Sora's eyes started to well up with tears. "She was…"

Kairi stood up and walked over to the window. "Sora?" She noticed tears falling down his cheeks. "If you don't wanna talk about it, it's okay."

"She was killed…" Sora choked out. He sniffled as he hid his face away from Kairi. "Some idiot driver was going around a slope way too fast, spun out and T-boned her, killing her instantly…"

Tears formed in Kairi's eyes as well. "Sora...I'm so sorry…when did this happen?"

"A little more than two years ago."

"I see," Kairi nodded before grabbing her notepad and taking notes. She looked up after she was done writing and saw that Sora was still sobbing.

"I'm sorry." He apologized and wiped his tears away.

"You don't have to apologize." Kairi paused and watched as Sora returned back to the couch. "Do you talk about her often?"

Sora shook his head. "No. It's too painful."

"Have you dated anyone since her death?"

"No, the thought of possibly replacing her with someone else just makes me feel awful."

"How did you feel when your wife died in the beginning?" Kairi asked as she grabbed her notepad.

Sora shrugged. "How do you think I felt?"

"I mean, tell me specifically what you felt."

"Well," Sora crossed his arms and leaned back. "At first, I was shocked. I refused to believe that in such a short span of time, she was completely gone. After the funeral, it finally set in that she was gone, and I just turned into this bitter, angry person. I kept on fighting myself into thinking that things could've been different and she would still be alive. I stopped seeing my family, my friends, I didn't like my job anymore. I just couldn't be bothered with anything…" He stared down at the ground. "I finally got some help with my anger management, but after that, I've just felt miserable and depressed all the time."

Kairi read her notes. "It sounds like you might still be grieving and you don't even realize that. You seem to be stuck in the depression stage."

"For that long?"

"You'd be surprised. Every person is different."

Sora sighed. "I guess you have a point there."

Kairi looked at the time. "Well, it's about 5:00, so this should wrap up this session, but the good news is we've made really good progress today, and next week, we'll pick up right where we left off. Are you okay?"

"Actually," Sora cracked a weak smile. "I feel a little better than I did when I first came in."

"Good, I'm glad." Kairi nodded and smiled. "I will see you next Friday at 4:00."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, but uh…"

"Yes?" Kairi asked looking at him with innocent eyes.

"Sorry if this sounds weird, but…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Can I walk with you? You're just really easy to talk to."

"Sure, you can follow me out."

Sora kept close to Kairi as she locked up her office and began walking out of the center. This time around, the walk was very quiet, not a single word was muttered from either one. Sora felt like had to say something to break the silence, yet at the same time, he didn't mind it. It was here that he discovered how good of company Kairi was for him. It didn't matter whether they were talking or not. After the elevator dropped them off on the first floor, Sora watched as the fall breeze blew against Kairi's hair when they walked outside. He could've sworn that he was watching it in slow motion. Her hair seemed so soft, and flawless. He was almost tempted to touch it.

"Well, I'd best be on my way." Kairi said as she was ready to part ways.

Sora looked ahead and saw dark clouds that were coming in close. "Kairi-I mean, Dr. Uchida." He said placing his hand on her shoulder. She stiffened up before turning to face him. Sora couldn't help but freeze when her eyes met his. He almost wanted to look away, but at the same time, he couldn't. Something was pulling his gaze to her and his heart was softening the more he looked at her. "Please...be careful driving. It looks like it's gonna rain."

"I will. I'll be very careful, I promise."

"Have a good night." Sora said smiling before the two of them parted ways. He watched as Kairi walked over and hopped into her car, a little hop in her step. He couldn't help but crack a smile. _Pull it together, Sora..._ he thought to himself.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry for this chapter being so dialogue heavy! That's generally how the "counseling session" chapters are gonna be because you can only do so much when two people are sitting in a room just talking and the only other thing you can talk about is emotions lol**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Foreboding Memories

"Excellent. You're making very good progress, Sora. You're already sounding better than you did a month ago when you first started coming in for these Friday sessions." Kairi said as they finished up their most recent session.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Really? You think so?"

"Yep. Trust me. We're in the stage where you're coming to terms with yourself and we're slowly but surely releasing all of this negativity that you've been hiding inside yourself. Once we make it out of that stage, then we'll start looking for ways to improve yourself in a positive way." She went to her desk and stashed Sora's notes into a folder. "But, one step at a time, okay?"

"Yeah, I gotcha." He said with a smile. "I do always feel better after talking to you. "

"Good! That means I'm doing my job right."

Sora sighed as he unintentionally stared at Kairi, who began to pack up all of her things to leave work for the day. She noticed his staring.

"You okay?"

Sora snapped out of his gaze and looked away. "Huh? Y-yeah...it's nothing."

"Sora…"

"Really, I'm fine." He walked over to the window and stared at the trees that beared red, brown, and yellow leaves. "It's crazy how different the trees look during this time of year."

Kairi nodded. "It truly is an amazing illustration of the passage of time and how we all go through cycles."

"Cycles?"

"Well. If you think about it, life is a cycle. We're born, we serve our purpose in life, we die, and then the world mourns and prepares itself for new life."

Sora shrugged. "What does this have to do with trees?"

Kairi walked up to the window and pointed out the leaves on the trees. "Look at the leaves. During the spring, they're full of new life! Leaves, flowers, fruit, whatever you can think of! Throughout the spring and summer seasons, the trees serve their purpose. They provide us with oxygen, food for animals, and beautiful scenery that make this world feel like it's alive." She placed a hand over her heart. "When the weather gets cold, the leaves turn to golden colors and fall, thus marks the end of their life."

"And winter?"

"Well, winter's a tricky one." She answered rested a hand to her chest. "You see, when it snows, it buries the fallen leaves underneath. Snowflakes are like frozen tears almost. But the water leftover from the snow is what supplements the new life that will bloom during the spring." Kairi leaned against the windowsill. "Winter is like grief. Sometimes it's over quickly, and sometimes it lasts longer than it should. It all depends." She exhaled heavily and turned to walk back to her desk. "Grief also comes in many different forms."

Sora nodded. "True…"

Kairi looked over and watched Sora gather up his wallet, keys, and black coat. "Oh! Before you go, I brought something for you from home." She reached into her bag and pulled out a book that a shack covered in snow on the cover, handing it to Sora. "I recommend you giving this a read between our sessions."

"The Shack?" He read aloud as he flipped through the pages.

"It came out about ten years ago. I read it when my grandmother passed away. It was uplifting and it helped me cope with the grief I was feeling. Maybe it'll help you too."

"Okay, I'll look this over. Thanks a lot."

Kairi smiled and nodded. "So, next Friday, you bring your five items in, and we're gonna have a session of you just letting everything out. You gonna be ready?"

"Yeah, I will." Sora answered looking down at the book.

"Don't hold back Sora, promise?"

Just as Kairi finished what she was saying, Sora looked up from the book and found his heart nearly stopping. For a minute there, he could've sworn he saw a young woman with jet black hair that was cut in a bob. Her face was very similar to Kairi's, bearing the same physical features, including the same eye color, and a similar simile. Sora's hands began to shake as he dropped the book at his feet. Keeping eye contact with her, Sora's eyes suddenly began to flood with tears. He sat back down on the couch as tears began to stain his cheeks and fall to the ground.

"Sora?" Kairi gasped as she hurried over the couch, sitting next to him and rubbing his arm. "What's wrong? You're crying."

Sora quickly turned his face and wiped his tears with his sleeve. "It's okay. I'm fine." He forced a weak smile on his face. "I'll be okay. I should go now."

"Are you sure? You don't have to rush out if you need to talk some more."

"I really should go. I don't want to keep you any longer anyway."

Kairi sighed as she watched Sora stand up from the couch and make his way towards the door. He looked back and waved before shutting the door behind him. _What the hell was that about?_ He thought in his mind as he hurried down the hallway towards the exit.

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Monday was typical for Sora. He went in early before the rest of the students and got the day's plans ready. Although, this was a Monday after handing back tests to students. If he was going to hear about it from parents, this was the day. Thankfully, lunch period, Sora's favorite time of the day, came quickly. As the third period class skedaddled, Sora took a look at his desk and noticed how disorganized it was. He normally was a pretty organized person and hated having a messy workspace. Sora started shuffling through papers, sorting them out by class period, graded and not graded, and by lab sheets and tests.

"Sora?" Riku asked knocking on the classroom door.

Sora looked up from his shuffling. "Hey, I was gonna head down to the lounge in a second. Just...straightening up my workspace."

"Actually, you wanna go get a burger down the street?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "During school hours?"

"Why not? Students can go off campus for lunch, why not us?"

"I guess a burger sounds good."

Leaving the rest of his papers scattered on his desk, Sora locked up his classroom before walking along the busy halls and outside the building. It felt surreal for him to be going off campus during the day. He never even did that during high school, or even college. He was the type of student who would stay on campus because deep down, he knew that if he left school and went home at all during the day, he wasn't coming back.

Riku drove the two of them down the street to a burger drive-thru and ordered food. They could've easily returned to the school, but opted to park and just chat in Riku's car. Normally, Sora would prefer not to eat in a car, especially someone else's, but considering this meant a break from rambunctious students, he was willing to make an exception. He just wished it wasn't so awkward. Riku was typically talkative when the two hung out, but this time around was different. Sora immediately jumped to the conclusion that there was something going on and he wasn't talking about it.

"So, what's on your mind?" Sora asked.

Riku shrugged. "Nothing."

"Riku…"

"What? Can't two guys go get a burger and just chill?"

"Riku, no offense, but I can count the amount of times we've hung out on one hand, and that's from knowing each other for two months." Sora said shaking his head.

"Seriously, it just gets boring in that lounge. A lot of the teachers are older, boring, and old man Xehanort is getting on my last nerve." Riku laughed. "Call me harsh, but the day that old man drops dead is the day I cancel my gym classes and we just party the whole time."

"Uh...should I be worried?"

"Heh, nope. Just me being cynical as always." Riku took a bite of his burger. "So, what's on your mind? You've always got something. I know you're not quiet just for the hell of it."

Sora shrugged. "Other than the usual stuff, nothing really."

"Classes getting any better?"

"Oh, I wish." Sora laughed while rolling his eyes. "I had a dad come talk to me this morning because his daughter's flunking my class and apparently, 'his daughter is a genius descended from Heaven and can do no wrong', so it's apparently my fault that she's failing when really, she just doesn't even do the assignments."

Riku snickered. "I get the dad thing a lot. Except for dads watch me like a hawk because apparently, teenage girls aren't allowed to have a good-looking teacher for Gym."

"Getting a little bold there, aren't we? Calling yourself 'good-looking'."

"If I wasn't so hungry, this would be when I shove this burger in your face."

The two of them shared a laugh before Riku took out his phone at the sound of his text message tone. Sora couldn't help but peak over at what was on the phone. Judging by Riku's hopeful expression fading to one of disappointment, Sora could only take one guess at who his friend was texting with. Normally, he wouldn't pry, but figured it was better than just keeping it swept under the rug. If there's anything Sora learned from all of his visits with Kairi, it was that he did feel better after talking about whatever was on his mind, even if half the time, he was too stubborn to open up.

"Sooooo…." Sora broke the silence. "How's the _girl_ thing coming along?"

"Girl thing?"

"Yeah, you said you liked a girl a while back, didn't you? You didn't really mention her, so I wasn't sure how that went."

Riku sighed. "Right. Uh...it's...complicated."

Sora's eyebrows tilted up. He was interested. "How so? I mean...other than the fact that she's a single mom."

"Well, last month, we...kinda hooked up...and it's been weird since then."

"Hmmm…" Sora leaned back in the seat. "I'm guessing you guys weren't in a committed relationship when that happened, right?"

Riku crossed his arms. "You'd be correct."

"Do I wanna know how it happened?"

"It was a classic 'we were both in a weird spot, we kinda just started making out, and one thing let to another' moment. I'd be lying if I said she didn't know what she was doing."

Sora's eyes widened. "Spur of the moment 'friends with benefits' moment?"

"Sure, we can call it that. As enjoyable as it was, I'm kinda regretting it now." Riku sighed heavily. "She acts all weird around me now. She hardly ever talks to me anymore. We used to send stupid shit we'd find on the internet all the time, but now, the only time I've seen her is on Saturdays when we have soccer games, and even then, she kinda avoids me a little bit." He threw his head back groaning. "I don't understand what I did wrong?"

"Maybe she's embarrassed and ashamed of what she did. Based on what you've told me about her, she seems like the type of girl that's serious when it comes to relationships."

"I mean, I get that, but why won't she talk to me about it? If she wants to forget about the whole thing, I'm cool with it, but I just wanna know. We've been close since high school and I don't want something like sex driving us apart."

Sora chuckled. "That reminds me of my mom's favorite chick flick, 'When Harry Met Sally'. Harry says that men and women can't be friends because sex always gets in the way." He crossed his arms as his eyebrows furrowed. "I strongly disagree with that. That's like saying I can't have a female doctor or a female neighbor for the same reasons."

Riku's eyes widened. "Uh...well, sticking to that topic, let's just say I don't have a female dentist for that very reason."

"Riku? You hooked up with a dentist?"

"Not an official one! It was in college and she was in the program and...well...yeah. I'm human, I'm not gonna deny sex from an attractive woman if offered."

Sora shrugged. "Whatever you say."

"Well, you seem to be the expert when it comes to knowing how women work." Riku snickered. "How's your love life?"

"Deceased."

"Oh...sorry."

"It's alright. She died a couple years ago, and it's been really hard trying to move on from it, but I've been seeing a therapist for the past month and...it's been helping, actually." Sora smiled warmly as he stared out the window. "She's actually kinda cute."

"Damn Sora, your therapist?" Riku laughed shaking his head. "And I thought a dental student was setting the bar high. Is she single?"

"Not sure. She doesn't have a ring, but she could still have a boyfriend. She doesn't really talk about her personal life all that much. We've mostly focused on me." Sora found himself blushing as he scratched the back of his head. "She's really sweet though. I had a breakdown during one of our first sessions and she sat with me the whole time until I felt better."

"So, ask her out if you like her."

"Forget it. I'm not interested in dating anybody right now."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Didn't you just say you liked her?"

"I said she was pretty, doesn't mean I'm interested in a relationship."

"You don't have to be in a relationship right away, just ask her out on a date. No harm in that. What's the worst that can happen?"

Sora shrugged as he leaned back in his seat. "I don't know. Besides, why would she go out with someone like me? She's seen me at my worst. If anything, she would probably much rather avoid me in public." He said in a saddened tone. "Not to mention, she makes way more money than I do. If she's gonna be with anyone, it's gonna be someone in her pay rate."

"Would you listen to yourself?" Riku asked as he aggressively shook his friend. "Pull it together already! These are different times. There are lots of women that have high-paying careers. It doesn't mean men like us are less desirable. It just means they're more progressive and they don't wanna be housewives for the rest of their lives." He paused as he caught sight of Sora's hopeless expression staring down at the dirty car floor. "Hey, look on the bright side, if she's seen you at your worst and likes you, then it can only get better from there."

"I guess, but that still doesn't make me any more interested in dating."

"You just seem like the type of guy who'd be happier with someone."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

"Yeah, 'the family man'. I get that vibe from you." Riku said nudging him in the arm.

"Well, before my wife died, I know we were trying for a baby. That obviously didn't work very well."

"Do you _want_ a family still?"

Sora sighed as he thought for a moment. "I guess it'd be nice. I mean, I've always wanted to settle down with someone and have a couple of kids, but-"

"-So there you go, Sora." Riku said cutting him off. "You already have the job, now just ask out the girl and see where it goes from there."

"Riku...I can't…" Sora pulled out his phone and checked the time. "Hey, we gotta get back to the school. Lunch is over soon."

"Right...just think about it, though."

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Sora had hoped that after school let out that he would've been able to take his mind off what he and Riku had talked about. It was another case of pushing him to "find someone" when all he wanted was to be alone. Except, were those feelings even true? Did Sora truly want to be alone? After hearing Riku's complicated predicament with the girl he's interested in, is he ready for something like that? It seemed that dating had a 50/50 shot of going smoothly or ending up on a bumpy road, especially considering Sora hadn't completely moved on from his wife yet.

A walk in the park was called for. Sora strolled along the sidewalk as the chilly breeze tickled his face. It was around the dinnertime hours, so it wasn't busy at the park at all, especially when it came to young kids and families. He took a seat on a bench and watched the few signs of life that were present. There was a grown man throwing a frisbee for his dog, a couple of grandmas that were knitting on a nearby bench, and one pair that caught Sora's attention in particular.

The young couple looked to be close to his age. As much as he felt like a creep, Sora couldn't help but watch them. They were walking slowly through the park holding hands. His eyes couldn't stop focusing on their hands. He had forgotten what it felt like to hold hands with someone special until he saw the way their fingers laced, breaking any sort of touch barrier the two might've had earlier. He thought back to when that used to be him and his wife. The temperate weather in the islands helped make for some perfect weather for evening walks.

Sora watched as the guy suddenly snuck behind the girl and stole a kiss from her cheek. In a way, he could've sworn that he saw himself in the guy's place. In the girl's place? One would expect his wife, but instead, it was Kairi. Sora gasped as his heart skipped beats at the sudden fantasy his mind and heart were creating before his very eyes. _Kairi..._ he muttered her name in his head. He gave himself a minute to process and see if anything would change, but it stayed the same. Sora continued to see himself and Kairi in the place of the young couple _How's this possible? What about…_

The sound of laughing coming from "Kairi" interrupted Sora's conflicting thoughts. He wasn't just seeing Kairi, but he saw her smiling and laughing, which were what drew him to her so much. She definitely had a contagious smile that Sora could never escape, and her laugh only added to it. As if that weren't enough, Sora started to think about more than just her smile and her laugh. He started to think about how her indigo-blue eyes stood out from the warm colors of the sky, how soft and fluffy her hair always looked when he popped into the office on Friday afternoons, and her gentle touch.

What would it be like to really hold hands with her? Kairi seemed to care a lot about Sora during their sessions, so maybe she'd care about him the same even outside of the office? _She doesn't seem to like winter all that much...I could keep her warm during the winter months_ , he thought to himself as some brisk wind blew right through. Just as the couple was about to kiss, Sora snapped out of his fantasy and brought himself back to reality, but not without letting out a nervous laugh. He finally decided to call it and head back home. While he could easily think about Kairi on his way home, the thoughts immediately went away when he got home and his eyes locked onto a wedding photo that hung on the wall.

"Am I ready…?" Sora asked as he brushed his fingertips along the photo.

* * *

 **Author's Note: KH3 SPOILER WARNING! On March 1st, I will be releasing the first chapter of a new fanfic that's going to be headcanon to the games and is supposed to pick up from where KH3 ended. Just a warning in case those of you guys who follow me on here haven't beaten the game yet. Anywho, thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Days in the Sun

Kairi sat in her office reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy while waiting for Sora to arrive for his next session. She shivered as she felt the cool, autumn breeze blow right through. It gave her an idea. She logged off her computer and grabbed her purple sweater that was hanging on the back of her office chair. Kairi was tired of sitting in the office and wanted to get out, but she also promised to be there for Sora. At 4:00, she walked outside of her office to retrieve Sora and found him sitting in his usual spot, a weak smile crossing his face as their eyes met. After having him follow her to her office, Kairi stopped in her tracks halfway down.

"You okay, Doctor?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side.

Kairi nodded before turning and facing. "You know what, today's session is going to be a little different." She rested a hand on his back and turned him back towards the exit. "We're gonna go do our session outside."

"Outside? That's random."

"Yeah, but the weather is so nice, and don't worry, I know a secluded spot so nobody will listen to our session."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you know what you're doing." He shrugged before leading them both back outside. "But...where exactly are we doing?"

"Just get in your car and follow me."

Just a few miles on the outskirts of town was a large field with a hill. Sora gazed in wonder at the sight as he got out of his car. There were white daisies all over the place and golden leaves were falling from the trees. _It's too bad all of these daisies are gonna be frozen over soon,_ he thought as he studied Kairi, who was slowly walking ahead, admiring the flowers herself. In fact, it almost seemed like she had forgotten that Sora was there with her and she was in a dreamlike state. Kairi knelt down and picked a daisy, inhaling its light sweet scent.

Sora found his legs unable to move. How could he? Kairi seemed like a completely different person than what he was used to in the office. For the first time, he felt a peaceful aura coming from her, as if she wasn't stressing over her personal life or other people's problems. She was just completely lost in herself, enjoying what was in front of her. It was...therapeutic, just watching her smile. Sora found himself smiling along with her. His eyes caught sight of an individual yellow daisy, causing him to kneel down and pick it up. _Yellow, just like a paopu fruit,_ he thought to himself.

"Sora?" Kairi called, snapping him out of his own trance. "You coming?"

Sora nodded, dropping the flower. "Yeah, sorry."

Kairi climbed to the top of the hill in the field with Sora not far behind. She stopped at the top and looked far out towards the farmlands. There wasn't another soul in sight aside from a couple of farmers here and wind blowing through the trees was music to her ears. She shut her eyes and started to imagine herself on a desolate island, surround by ocean, and hearing seagulls cawing from the distance. Kairi inhaled deeply, almost like she was trying to get lost in the sea-salt scent of the water. Her eyes opened to the sight of Sora looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

"So, why'd we come out here?" He asked.

Kairi softly smiled. "I used to come out here all the time when I needed time alone. It's peaceful, and quiet, and I love the daisies. They always give me a sense of...hope, that there's always room to grow and blossom into something beautiful."

"Hope?"

"Nevermind." Kairi shook her head before taking a seat. "So, what did you bring?"She asked as Sora took a seat.

Sora reached into his back and pulled out items such as two coffee mugs, a keychain, a shirt, a fake plant, and he took off his wedding ring and placed it in front of him and and Kairi with the rest of the items. "This was everything I could find."

"Okay, now for each item, tell me about it. You can be as specific or as vague as you want."

"Well," Sora's eyes scanned across all of the items. "I guess I'll start with the mugs." He picked one up. It was black with stars on it and it said 'I know' on it in a very familiar-looking font. "This was how I told Xion I loved her."

"Xion? That was her name?" Kairi asked. Sora smiled and nodded. "What a great name."

Sora sighed and leaned against a tree. "It was my last year of college, and we went to a convention together during spring break…"

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 _Xion and Sora got back to their hotel room after a long day of admiring cosplays, visiting booths, shopping, and watching panels. Both of them were exhausted, but still had the adrenaline rush from meeting some of their favorite celebrities that were attending the con, especially since it was a Star Wars convention. Sora gazed at the poster that was autographed by multiple actors from the films while Xion played around with the lightsaber that she had purchased that was too expensive, but she didn't care._

" _Careful!" Sora laughed. He ran over and wrapped his arms around Xion from behind. "We don't wanna put a hole in the wall."_

 _Xion sighed. "I guess you're right. I guess I don't want our neighbors peeping into our room and watching me make out with my scoundrel boyfriend."_

 _Sora cracked a crooked smile. "Scoundrel? I like the sound of that." He leaned in and kissed her, his hands caressing her cheeks._

" _Okay, Han Solo!" Xion laughed resting her forehead against his. She leaned in and gave him another kiss before going back and sitting on the king-sized bed that the two of them shared during their trip. "I'm starving, we should go eat somewhere!"_

" _Definitely! But…" Sora walked over and picked up a shopping bag before sitting next to Xion. "First, I got you something, or rather, I got us something."_

 _Xion looked at Sora funny before reaching into the bag. She immediately pulled out the first of two mugs. It was the one that happened to say 'I love you'. A gasp escaped Xion as she could feel her heart racing. Was Sora trying to tell her he loved her? They had only been going out for a couple months, but she felt so close to him. They were so much alike. Xion's eyes started to well with tears. A wide smile formed on her face as she threw her arms around Sora's neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. Sora returned it resting his chin on her shoulder. He felt so complete with her._

" _I love you…" Xion softly whispered._

 _Sora chuckled, rubbing Xion's back with his hand. He kissed her cheek before breaking the hug. "If I felt like having a nerd moment, this would be when I'd say 'I know', but I prefer to just feel what's in my heart right now." He stroked Xion's face, brushing her black bangs out of her face. "I love you, Xion."  
_

 _Holding each other's gaze, Xion leaned in giving Sora a soft kiss. He decided not to let her get away so easily. Suddenly, any feelings of hunger disappeared all this young couple wanted now was each other. Sora returned the kiss, holding her tighter than he could've. He never wanted to let her go more in his entire life. Xion rested her head on Sora's shoulder, just wanting to be close to him. His arms stayed wrapped around Xion, his hands feeling the goosebumps forming on her arms from his, according to Xion, 'amazing kissing ability'. There had never been a couple more attached to each other than this one._

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"Thatwas beautiful..." Kairi said smiling sweetly.

Sora laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I can be a romantic when I try."

"Okay, what's next?"

"Well…" Sora began laughing. "This was actually an inside joke of ours." He stretched his legs out and stared up. "It's in an inside joke of how we first met." Kairi raised an eyebrow. The keychain was literally, a key. She was curious now. "That was an interesting day...:"

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 _It was about 2:00 in the morning. The crazy party that Sora had gone to was just finishing up. To say his world was turning upside down was an understatement. The world was spinning, and he couldn't talk right. His tongue seemed to always get in the way whenever he tried to speak whether it was to himself or to someone else. His arms and legs felt like they were fill with jelly instead of toned muscle. The 21-year old stumbled his way down the sidewalk as his head slowly rotated searching for his car. Apparently, whoever hosted this party, didn't realize that Sora had left and was planning to drive himself home._

" _Eh...dude….where's my car…?" Sora slowly asked as his eyes spun around the empty streets. "Where's...my car...dude…?" He slowly blinked. His vision focused a dark blue Nissan. It looked similar enough to his dark blue Camry. "There you are!" He hollered at the to top of his lungs. Sora's legs carried him over to the driver's side of the stuck the key into the lock...or rather he tried to, and it didn't work. "What the fuck…? What's wrong with my key?" Sora continued to stab at the lock with his key. "Why won't it work? Stupid car! All I want is Taco Bell!" He kicked the tire before sinking down on the ground. "Please...car….why won't it unlock?"_

 _Sora walked around to the passenger side and tried to get in on that side. Obviously, it didn't work that well. He groaned loudly and sat leaning against the door basically giving up. He opted for waiting until some stranger came by and helped him. It looked as if nobody was coming by because after an hour of singing slurred versions of J-pop songs to himself, Sora felt his eyes and head grew heavy. He fell onto his side and lay on the ground, falling asleep. The hard ground didn't seem to make a difference to him. Sleep was sleep in his mind. This wasn't an ordinary nap though. It was, well, a special one._

" _Excuse me? Hello?" A female's voice echoed in Sora's ears. He cracked his eyes open and saw the blurred view of a girl around his age looking down at him. She had blue eyes that matched his and short black hair with bangs that hung to the side. Of all things to wake up to during a hangover. "Are you okay?"_

 _Sora moaned painfully as his vision began to focus on the girl. "Are you an angel?"_

 _The girl rolled her eyes. "No, but nice one, 'Anakin Skywalker'." She did air quotes with her fingers._

" _No, I'm serious…" Sora slowly sat up and leaned against the car. "I feel dead right now…"_

" _Were you drinking last night?" Sora nodded. "I should've known...classic hangover." The girl bent down and helped Sora stand up, although it was a bit of a struggle considering he was a like five feet, seven inches and 130 pounds worth of dead weight. "Come on in, you need water."_

" _Thanks...ow...my head…." Sora moaned as he followed the girl and rubbing his head. "Who are you, by the way?"  
_

 _The girl cracked a smile. "I'm Xion. I've seen you around campus." Xion opened the door letting Sora into her house.. "I see you over near the science buildings a lot."_

" _Yeah...I'm a Biology major." Sora scratched the back of his head as the soles of his shoes tapped against the tile floor leading to the living room. "I'm Sora." He introduced himself sitting on the couch._

 _Xion came back into the living room with a cup of water and a cup of coffee. "Here, you're dehydrated as hell. Water and coffee are your best friends." She sat and watched as Sora drank the water as if he hadn't had any water for weeks. "Wow, it must've been a rough night!"_

 _Sora shrugged as he set the now empty glass on the coffee table. "I wouldn't say rough, but it was rather crazy." He gasped and stood up way too quickly. "Wait a minute! My car! I totally forgot about that!"_

" _Forgot about what?"_

" _My car…" Sora sadly said as he sat back down, sipping the coffee. "I don't know what happened, but my key didn't unlock my car…"_

 _Xion frowned and sat next to Sora. "Well, it's a good thing the key didn't work! You shouldn't be driving home drunk like that!"_

 _Sora sighed, holding his head down. "I didn't have anyone to give me a ride."_

" _Still," Xion found herself blushing uncontrollably. "It would've been really sad if you got behind the wheel and something happened to you."  
_

" _I guess, but you barely know me."_

" _No, but…" She twiddled with her fingers as she rested her hands in her lap. "You seem like a friendly guy." Sora eyed her with his crystal blue eyes intensifying the flush in her cheeks. Xion turned her face away. "I've seen how you interact with your friends and…."_

" _Oh…" Sora found his cheeks flushing a shade of red before he also turned his face away. "Uh...thanks…?"_

 _Xion found her stomach suddenly twisting as she studied Sora's blushing face. His eyes slowly found their way back to hers and couldn't break the gaze. Many don't believe in 'love at first sight', but it was the first time Sora had ever questioned whether it was real or not. A warm smile formed on his face with Xion returning it. No words had to exchange to notice that these two young kids were immediately attracted to each other, and the rest was history._

 _-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_

Sora couldn't help but lean back against the tree that seemed to drop leaves left and right. He shut his eyes and inhaled the fresh air that blew through the branches. Kairi could help but watch the tranquility in Sora's face. It seemed like his face was the complete opposite of what it was the first time she saw him almost a month ago. It was up high, his eyes were closed, and he was genuinely. Kairi decided to set down her notebook. Now wasn't the time to try and drill questions out of him. She wanted Sora to feel peaceful. He was going through this depression for two years too long. She almost felt tempted to sit next to him. A part of her actually really wanted to. It was almost like his peaceful aura was passing onto her.

"I remember all those days in the sun…" Sora softly said. "Sun roasting on our faces, ocean's mist keeping us cool, the trees giving us the shade we needed. If you ask me, that was true paradise." He began to stare out to the horizon. "I wish the sun would glow brightly like it used to."

Kairi sighed, joining Sora in staring out to the horizon. "Yeah, me too."

Sora, snapping out of his trance, looked over at Kairi. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Oh!" She shook her head. "Nothing!" Kairi picked up her notebook. "So, tell me about the rest of the items you have."

Sora stared at Kairi's face for a moment before returning his gaze down to the rest of the items. "Well, the shirt was the first birthday gift Xion got for me after we started dating, the plant was a gift for when I first started teaching, and then…" Sora reached over and picked up the ring, slipping it back on his finger. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"I just…" Sora sighed heavily and stood up. "I just feel like...nothing…" He began to walk towards the hill's slope. "I should go now. I've wasted enough of your time."

"Sora!" Kairi jumped up and ran towards Sora, grabbing him by the hand. "Wait." She held her grip on Sora, who stood perfectly still, not looking at her. "Sora, please…" Kairi pleaded, her grip tightening on him. Sora finally looked back, seeing how glassy her eyes had become. "Please don't go."

Sora, feeling his stomach twist, exhaled deeply. "Kairi…-I mean Dr. Uchida- I'm sorry." He sat on the slope, bringing his knees close to his chest and resting his arms on them. "I feel like everytime I make progress and think I'm getting better, I'm back down to square one. Why are you wasting your time on me?"

"Well," Kairi sat back down next to Sora, stretching her legs out. "Because…"

The thought hit Kairi like a brick. Why was she helping Sora like this? Why was she going out of her way to help him? She had never done this for any other patient, so why him? Of course she knew why, but she didn't dare tell him why. _I mean, he's cute, and we seem to connect on an emotional level, but still._ Anytime Sora was in pain, Kairi could almost feel the same pain he was going through. She wanted to end her own pain as much as his. There was something about Sora that made her want to be around him more each time he came to visit her. Today only opened her eyes more to who Sora was as a person. Sora seemed to immediately take interest in whatever Kairi had to say or how she felt.

"Because you feel sorry for me?" Sora asked dryly.

Kairi shook her head. "I mean, I do feel sorry for what you're going through, but that's not why I'm helping you." She sighed and looked over at Sora. "There's something about you. I don't know what it is, but it makes me want to really invest my time into helping you overcome this."

"Kairi," Sora cracked a smile. "You have a big heart, don't ever change." He sighed and shook his head. "I still can't help but feel like you could be taking your time with someone else. Someone who's easier to fix." Sora chuckled and looked at Kairi. "Hey, would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?" He asked, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

"Wait…" Kairi felt her heart skip a beat. "What did you say?"

Sora scratched the back of his head, looking away from Kairi in embarrassment. "Sorry, I had a nerd moment. I was quoting Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Kairi smiled widely. "I know! That's my favorite book!" She sat up on her knees. "Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space." She quoted.

"Whoa…" Sora's eyes widened. "I didn't think a girl like you would be into a book like that."

"I'm a Psychologist, but that doesn't mean I'm a stick in the mud who only reads nonfiction books on mental health." Kairi laughed and shook her head. "I read practically everything. Fantasy, Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Romance, but Sci-Fi is my favorite." She looked up into the sky. "There's so much up there that we don't know about! I find it so fascinating, the imagination of sci-fi writers." Kairi sighed and held her hand to her chest. "They have such inspirational things to say."

Sora laughed. "Yeah, I see what you mean. There's nothing like escaping reality and letting your mind wander into the great beyond."

"The best way to pursue happiness is to help other people." Kairi said sitting back down. Sora looked over and stared at her face that stayed focused ahead at the warm-colored sunset. "Nothing else will make you happier."

"Didn't George Lucas say that?"

Kairi smiled and nodded, her face blushing. "I've lived by that motto my entire life, and I live by that whenever I'm here at work."

Sora continued to stare at Kairi's flushed face. The sunset cast a bright glow that brought out her lavender eyes and intensified her red hair. He found himself drawn to her in a similar way he was drawn to Xion. She accepted him for who he was. Despite having known each other for only about a couple months, Kairi was willing to help him as much as she would help someone she was much closer to. All he had to do was look at her, and the sharp pain that would resonate in his heart, started to ease. Instead of wanting to go home and hide in a corner, Sora started to enjoy what was around him, including her company.

"Hey!" Sora said perking up. "Sorry if this is random, but do you wanna come over for dinner?"

Kairi looked at him funny. "You're right, that is kind of random."

"Sorry, it's just that there's something that I wanna show you at my place that I think you'll greatly appreciate." He stood up and held his hand out to her.

"Well, when you put it that way." Kairi thought for a moment. "Dinner sounds great." She smiled and held out her hand to Sora.

Sora took her hand, a pleasant shiver shooting down his spine from her soft touch, and effortlessly helped her up. Instead of letting go immediately, the two of them stood hand in hand for a minute, almost as if they were cherishing the physical contact they shared. Kairi kept her soft smile and eyes locked on Sora, as if she was now completely lost in his perfect crystal blue orbs.

 _This isn't happening..._ she thought.

* * *

 **Author's Note: If anybody else catches the Hitchhiker's Guide quotes and recognizes them, then you are AWESOME and you win paopu fruit cookies!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Nights Under the Moon

After locking up her office for the day, Kairi drove over to Sora's house. She texted Aqua asking if she and Terra could be in charge of Yuki, which ended up working out just fine since she had soccer practice with Aika that afternoon. Sora actually didn't live too far from the health center. He lived in an apartment complex downtown called Bahama Bay. It was a pretty nice complex, although Kairi never understood the "nice" apartments that she would consider "overpriced". In her opinion, apartments weren't worth playing more than $1000 per month for rent unless she was sharing an apartment with one other person.

Kairi got through the security gate relatively easy, and by relatively easy, she followed closely behind another car into the complex. This was another thing that drove her crazy. She loved and hated apartment complexes that had security. A lot of it was pointless because of people like her who would just follow drivers in anyway. Kairi drove down the road to Sora's building and found a place to park. She always felt bad for taking a parking spot that most likely belonged to a resident. At the same time, it was only for a couple hours. What's the harm in that, right?

"Wow, this place is pretty nice." Kairi said as she took her shoes off by the door.

Sora laughed as he ran his hand over the entertainment center. "Oh, it's nothing special. I've had this furniture since I graduated college. I'm ready for an upgrade, but for the paycheck I make, it's not too bad." He began walking into the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure! Whatcha got?"

"Hmm," Sora searched through his fridge. "Well, I've got standard water, sodas, but I also have wine and can make cocktails."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Try me with the cocktails." She leaned against the kitchen bar.

Sora leaned against the bar from the other side, his face mere inches away from hers, and causing Kairi's body temperature to spike. "What'll it be, miss?"

"Something sweet. I'm very picky about my alcohol."

"You got it!" Sora took the fruit juices from the fridge as well as some coconut rum and began mixing. "Here, try this. I always suggested this to my customers when they weren't the biggest fans of the 'bitter' taste of liquor."

"Customers?" Kairi asked as she took the drink from Sora.

He nodded. "I used to be a bartender before I became a teacher. Ironically, I think I made more money making drinks, but hey, what can you do?" Sora asked crossing his arms and leaning against the counter.

Kairi sipped the drink. "Wow! This is incredible! This is so good!" Her eyes widened. "I love this!"

"Thanks, it's been a while since I made a drink for someone." Sora bounced off the balls of his feet as he spun a glass in his hands. "Don't get me wrong, I love science, but I've always had a creative side to things. When I was younger, I was shy and really insecure, so I wanted to do theatre because it allowed me to become a character that I can admire whether he was good, evil, simple, complicated, human, animal, pretty much anything. You know what I mean?"

"I know exactly what you mean." Kairi sat at one of the bar stools. "That's one of the reasons why I read so much. It allows me to escape into a different world. I put myself in the main character's shoes and suddenly, I don't think about anything going on in the real world."

"It must be tough, having to listen to everybody's problems every day."

Kairi shrugged. "I've gotten used to it. It's more my personal life outside of work that I like to escape."

Sora laughed. "What? You got a jealous boyfriend I gotta be worried about?" His expression soon faded as soon as Kairi lowered her face and turned it away from his. "I'm sorry…" Sora shook his head. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay, but no, I don't have a boyfriend." Kairi's expression turned serious. "I'm...happily single." She felt her heart sink as soon as her eyes locked with Sora's, almost as if she just regretted telling him that. "I'm sorry, that sounded harsh…" Kairi apologized as her grip on her drink tightened.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that." Sora shrugged. "People don't give those that choose to stay single enough credit. Besides, there's plenty of advantages to staying single. You don't have to share your food, you don't have to share your room, you can do whatever you want." He brushed past Kairi and jumped onto his couch. "You can jump on the couch if you want! Hell, you can even walk around your house completely naked during the hot summer if you want!"

Kairi burst out laughing. "Hey! I wouldn't ever do that!"

"Why not? You're gorgeous." Sora said, not realizing the words that came out. Kairi blushed and looked away. He felt the blood rush to his face and turned away trying to hide it. "I mean, you have a great body, you should embrace it and love it." Sora groaned as Kairi let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry, I don't mean that in a perverted way. This is just the Biology teacher in me coming out. What I mean, is that I hear of so many women and girls, both at the school and outside, that are always shaming themselves and their bodies. But seriously," He rested his hand on Kairi's shoulder. "You ladies are tougher than you think, considering what your bodies are built for, and I just...I consider all women beautiful, in their own unique ways."

Kairi brushed hair behind her ear as she smiled genuinely. "That was really beautiful, Sora."

"Sorry, I hope I didn't make this awkward…" Sora scratched the back of his head. Kairi laughed and shook her head, bringing a smile to Sora's face almost instantly. "It's the truth though. You're beautiful, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

"Thank you…" Kairi finished her cocktail. She slid the drink away from her. "So, what was this _surprise_ you wanted to show me?"

Sora perked up. "Oh yeah! Come on!" He guided her out of the kitchen and down the hall towards the bedrooms. "It's in this room, but first, you have to close your eyes." Kairi raised an eyebrow. "I promise it's nothing weird! At least, I don't think it's weird, but trust me! I want to see your reaction."

Kairi sighed and closed her eyes. "If you walk me into a room full of dead bodies-"

"-I won't!" Sora took Kairi by the hands after opening the door and walked her into the center of a dark room. "Okay, wait here." He walked behind Kairi and turned on the lights. "Okay...now!"

Kairi opened her eyes to what was one of the most impressive sights she had ever laid her eyes on. Her jaw dropped as her eyes wandered around the room that was dressed up with various collectibles from science fiction movies, TV shows, video games, and books. There were bookshelves with action figures, comic books, novels, DVDs and Blu-Rays. There were posters both inspirational and stylistic. There were life-size props such as lightsabers and blasters. Kairi felt like she had boarded a rocket ship and blasted out of the earth and into outer space. There were collectibles from franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Firefly, Allens, Metroid, Star Fox, she could've kept the list going on.

"Wow...I've never seen such a collection!" Kairi gasped as she spun around in place getting a good look at everything. "This is amazing!"

Sora smiled as he walked up behind Kairi. "This is about fifteen years' worth of collecting." He looked and saw her stand in place twiddling her hands together. "You can take a look around and get up close. You don't have to stand in one spot."

Kairi gasped. "Whoa! It's R2-D2!" She got her face up close to a figure of the droid. "Firefly! Such an underrated show!" She admired the poster next to the bookshelf. Kairi's eyes caught sight of a long row of Star Wars novels. "Are these the expanded universe books?"

"Yeah, if you haven't read them, you should. The newer movies ignore them, but they're still worth reading."

"I think I might!"

Sora ran a hand over his book collection. "I have a lot of science fiction books. If there are any you haven't read, you can borrow them."

"Thank you so much!" Kairi bounced up and down off the balls of her feet. Her eyes scanned the row of books only for them to catch a special book that was posted in front of the row. "Oh my god...is this what I think it is?" Kairi took the book off the shelf. "It's a first edition copy of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!" She flipped open the front cover. "And it's signed by Douglas Adams!" She gasped, holding the book close to her heart. "I've always wanted him to sign my copy. I've had it since I was young, but he passed away before I ever had a chance to meet him."

"That's one of my most prized possessions." Sora said leaning against his bookshelf. "My dad gave that to me before he passed away. He was the one that got me into sci-fi."

Kairi quickly set the book back on the shelf. "I'm so sorry."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask you something?" Kairi nodded. "Why do you always apologize? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but...you do it an awful lot. Even when you haven't done anything wrong."

"Sorry, I just-ugh! There I go again…" Kairi brushed her hand up her arm. "Honestly, I don't know. It's just a habit, that's all."

"Well, you have nothing to apologize for, at least with me." Sora smiled. He brushed his hand up and down Kairi's shoulder before turning to walk back out of the room. "Take your time looking around while I go start cooking. You eat steak, right?"

Kairi nodded eagerly. "Yes I do! It's my favorite!"

Sora chuckled. "Rare, medium, or well done?"

"Medium rare."

"Perfect, same here."

Kairi laughed and shook her head as she watched Sora disappear around the corner. Taking up on his offer, she continued to embrace the beauty of Sora's sci-fi collection. The longer she stayed in the room, the more she could feel a certain presence. It was his presence. It was Sora's. She could feel her stomach fluttering as if there were birds flapping wildly. Kairi loved staying in the room and could've stayed in it all day. _Oh, if only,_ she thought to herself. She pulled off one of the Star Wars novels and began to skim through the first pages. It definitely grabbed her attention. She had read quite a number of sci-fi novels, but these felt brand new to her despite how familiar she was with the movies.

The scent of spices and butter lured Kairi out of the room and towards the kitchen. She couldn't help but watch Sora from behind him. He was cooking, but there was something about him that was different. He was cooking with a bounce in his step. Kairi smiled as she heard him silently humming to himself. She had never seen Sora in such a good mood before. It almost seemed like he had made a complete transformation. While Kairi never assumed that, she could tell that as much as Sora wanted to deny it, the two of them were making progress together. Kairi took a seat at the dining room table and began to read the book while Sora continued to cook. He took a peek back and felt a smile creep onto his face unable to stop staring at the face of this woman he felt such a strong connection with get lost in a book that she was already in love with.

"How do you like it?" Sora asked.

Kairi nodded and looked up, smiling widely. "So far, so good."

"Good, does this mean I can ask the obligatory, 'What's your favorite film in the series' question?"

"Does this mean I can give the obligatory 'Empire Strikes Back' answer?" Kairi asked back with a wink.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Good choice. Mine too." He began to serve the steaks. "Hey, how would you feel about eating outside on the balcony? I have a patio table and chairs. It's a really nice night."

"Yeah! Sure!"

Kairi stood up and moved to the table outside, Sora following shortly behind her. He carried the plates that their dinners were served on and set them down. He hurried back into the kitchen searched through the cabinet pulling out two wine glasses. On the bottom, Sora pulled out a large bottle of wine. He instantly recognized the wine. It was a bottle that he had planned on gifting to Xion, but she died before he had a chance to give it to her. Sora sighed and rotated the bottle in his hands, admiring the lavender-colored label. It was an unopened bottle from two years ago. _Maybe I'll just do cocktails instead,_ he thought. Sora's eyes caught sight of Kairi, who sat outside on the balcony waiting for Sora to return. _No, I wanna do something nice for Kairi_ , Sora argued with himself. _But wouldn't that be wrong? It was meant for Xion..._ Sora shook his head and set the bottle down, once again fighting this rollercoaster of starting to move on, only to be back to square one.

After darting his eyes between Kairi and the wine one last time, Sora hesitantly reached for the bottle and the glasses before taking them back outside. Kairi greeted him with a smile that was infectious to him. Sora took a seat across from her and poured her a glass of wine before pouring himself one. The porch lights outside illuminated the two of them ever so slightly. To Sora, Kairi couldn't have looked more perfect with the light glowing in her eyes. The silent night felt like peace for the two of them. Kairi began digging into her steak, immediately finding herself lost in its savory flavors.

"This is so good. You're quite the cook." Kairi complimented. "The wine goes perfectly with it."

"Thanks, I wanted to thank you for all of your help these last couple months."

"Your welcome. Glad to be of service." She sipped the wine. "Mmm, this wine is fantastic."

"Would you like another glass?" Sora offered lifting up the bottle. Kairi nodded eagerly. It had been a long time since she had a meal like this. "I'm glad you came tonight. It's nice not eating alone for once."

"I know what you mean. It gets harder the older you get, especially if your family lives long distance from you. Before you know it, your friends are married with children, have jobs that go way into the later hours, it's not like in high school or college where you can just phone a friend if you wanna hang out."

Sora poured himself another glass of wine and sipped it in silence. "Yeah, I miss those times, especially with my dad." He looked up into the dark starlit sky that created a somber atmosphere for him and Kairi. "We used to go stargazing all the time. He always talked about how there's so much to the universe that we still don't know about. I guess that goes for anything. We think we know everything, but how do we truly know that?" Sora chuckled. "I feel like there's always something new to discover in life."

"That's really deep." Kairi said finishing her second glass of wine. "It's funny. When you become a Psychologist, you start studying people and questioning them. I'll be walking at the grocery store, and I'll see a random woman that looks sad and I'll start analyzing her in my mind. Is that weird?"

"Not at all." Sora laughed and shook his head. "I think it's really cool. It shows how in touch you are with your surroundings and with people." His eyes stared down at his hands momentarily before reaching for the wine bottle. "Third round?" Kairi smiled before letting Sora pour another glass. He also refilled his and noticed that both his and Kairi's plates were cleared. "Are you finished? I can take your plate."

"Let me help you with that."

Kairi stood up quickly only for Sora to wave off her help. She felt bad that he was going through all of this trouble for her, especially since it wasn't even a date...right? _Is this a date? No! That's stupid! He's not even remotely interested. He's just being nice...and polite...and a gentleman...and...ugh._ Kairi's thoughts fought with each other in her head. She reached for her wine and leaned against the balcony railing while she drank it. It truly was a night that was clear as a day with no clouds. The stars were all over the place and there was a full moon in plain view. It had been a long time since the world looked this beautiful to her.

"It's peaceful, isn't it?" Sora asked as he joined next to Kairi. "I spend a lot of time out here. It keeps my mind off of things." He pointed out towards a bunch of bright stars. "You know what those stars look like?" Kairi shook her head. "Everybody in Destiny Islands calls that constellation the Oathkeeper. It looks kinda like two hands exchanging paopu fruits."

Kairi looked hard at the stars. "Wow, it really does."

Sora stole a glance at Kairi as she kept her undivided attention on the stars. The twinkling reflected off her eyes and made them look like sparkling sapphires. He ran his sweaty hand up and down his arm feeling the goosebumps that had formed on it. Kairi caught his gaze and returned the genuine smile. If Sora was honest, he would've kissed her right then and there with how beautiful she looked. They broke their gaze when the sound of a shooting star grabbed their attention. Sora's eyes widened as he leaned forward on the railing and pointed at it.

"It's a shooting star!" Sora placed his hand on her shoulder. "You gotta make a wish, Kairi!"

Kairi laughed, taken back. "Make a wish? Sora, isn't that a little childish?"

"Aww come on, it's fun!" He looked ahead at the shooting star. "Sometimes, you gotta give reality the boot and just believe in magic a little bit." Sora flashed a cheesy grin at her. "Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Okay," Kairi shook her head and shut her eyes. "You win." She shut her eyes and played along with Sora's little 'wish' act. _Happiness, that's all I want. I just want to be happy again like I used to be._ Kairi kept to herself and opened her eyes to see Sora gazing at the stars. "You know, you are so full of life."

"Thanks, that's the side I _want_ people to see. Because, that's the real me. That's why I came to Twilight Town. I wanted to find myself again, and I think he's slowly starting come back…" Sora looked over at Kairi. "...Because of you."

"Sora…" Kairi softly muttered as she held a hand close to her heart that had begun dancing. She felt her stomach twisting. "Well, I better get going." Kairi began to move from the railing only for her to lose her balance. Sora quickly dashed in front and caught her. "Wow, that was a clumsy moment, sorry."

"You okay, Kairi?" Sora asked while he held her.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine!" She walked inside and reached for her car keys only to miss the first time, and the second time, and the third time. After finally grabbing them, Kairi, her eyes looking a little heavier than normal, smiled and waved at Sora. "Thanks for dinner!"

Sora stepped forward and took her hands in his. "Kairi, please don't go."

"But, I have to get home."

"Then let me drive you home."

Kairi shook her head. "I'll be fine, really. I only live like a half hour away from here."

"Kairi," Sora firmly said. "You might get hurt…" He could feel his eyes well up. "Please, don't go." He pulled her into a hug.

"Sora, what're you-"

"-I'm sorry…" Sora choked out, holding Kairi close to him. "I don't wanna lose you too. Please...don't get behind the wheel."

Kairi sighed and returned the hug despite her arms and legs feeling weaker. "Okay, I won't drive."

Sora heave a sigh of relief. "Come on." He broke the hug and guided Kairi over to his bedroom that was surprisingly very clean. "Here, stay the night." Sora dug into his chest of drawers and pulled out a white shirt and dark sweatpants. "You can borrow these for tonight. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Are you sure?" Kairi asked standing up and nearly falling over again. "I feel like I'm being a burden."

"Hey, you're never a burden." Sora said handing the clothes to Kairi. "Use whatever you need in the bathroom."

"Thank you, Sora."

Sora smiled and walked over towards the door. "If I don't see you until the morning, good night."

Kairi waved. "Good night," she softly said.

After shutting the door giving Kairi her privacy, Sora walked over to the couch and collapsed right on top of it. Although he wasn't as tipsy as Kairi was, even he could start to feel the effects of the alcohol. His head started to hurt. _Guess I better turn in for the night,_ he thought to himself. Sora opened the closet and pulled out an extra blanket. Right as he was about to get comfortable on the couch, he realized that he was still wearing his day clothes. _I better pop in and grab my pajamas quickly before she falls asleep._ Sora turned and walked back over to his room, only to…

"Sora!" A naked Kairi screamed as she ran for the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Sora shielded his eyes, trying his best not to blush. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just needed to get my pajamas! I'm sorry!" He sidestepped into his bedroom trying to avoid any eye contact with Kairi, who still hid in the bathroom. Sora dug into his drawers and pulled out a dark blue shirt and red pajama pants. "Hey, at least I was right!" He laughed. "You _do_ have a really nice body!"

Kairi groaned. "Shut up…"

As much as Sora tried to lighten the situation, the embarrassment wouldn't leave. _I should've known she was changing!_ He groaned at himself. Sora changed in his bedroom while Kairi stayed in the bathroom. He tried to be quick considering he was almost completely sure she didn't want to be stuck in the bathroom. After changing, Sora hurried back out to the living room and fell asleep on the couch. He would've said goodnight to Kairi one last time, but he figured that was the last thing he should do all things considered. He fluffed the pillow and pulled the navy blue blanket over him, getting comfortable. The couch wasn't his favorite to sleep on, but he wasn't about to make Kairi take the couch, and he wouldn't have dared to ask her to share the bed with him. _Although...she does seem like she'd be great to cuddle with,_ he thought before turning on his side to fall asleep.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"WATCH OUT!"

Sora shot his eyes open at the sound of Kairi's scream. He jumped off the couch and quickly ran over to his bedroom. Under normal circumstances, he would've knocked, but this was an exception. Sora opened the door right away to see Kairi holding herself, her knees up to her ches, hyperventilating. He felt his heart sank as he went over and sat on the bed, taking hold of her shoulders.

"Kairi? Are you okay?"

Kairi looked up at Sora, still breathing heavily. "We were driving...and there was an accident-or there was almost an accid-he was going too fast and we-" She shook her head and covered her tear-filled face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. He almost killed us."

"Who?"

"I can't…" Kairi shook her head, avoiding eye contact.

Sora sighed and pulled Kairi into a hug. "It was a nightmare. It's okay, you're safe." He rested his head on top of hers as she buried her face into his chest, sobbing.

"I'm sorry, I'll never drive after drinking ever again."

"Shh, it's alright." Sora softly said. He ran his hand up and down her back causing her trembling body to slow down and relax. "I won't let anything happen to you. I'm here."

"Sora…" Kairi whispered.

"Hm?"

"You're so warm."

Sora laughed. "Thanks. I guess that helps you out?" Kairi nodded, not leaving his arms. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to."

Kairi's heart skipped beats. She recognized that those were the exact same words she said to Sora the first time she helped him through an anxiety attack. The fact hit her like a punch to the gut. Sora had shown his true colors that night. Underneath the depression he had exhibited at first, he truly cared about others, and he understood her. Kairi reached up and held onto Sora's arm giving him permission to stay with her. He could feel the goosebumps that had formed on his arms earlier return. Her soft hand sent the blood rushing back to his face. This was unlike any connection he had ever felt with anyone. All Sora wanted was to sit there, holding Kairi, and not let go until she said she was okay.

"Your hair, it's so soft." He randomly said running his hand through it.

"Thanks, I shampoo and condition every day."

Sora sighed. "I like it." He brushed her side bangs out of the way exposing her forehead and closed eyes. Instinctively, Sora leaned his face over and gave Kairi a small kiss on the forehead. "You okay?" He asked.

Kairi, her heart racing from the kiss, smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'm okay, thank you." She said still resting her head against his pounding chest. She finally sat up and wiped her tears from her face. "Sorry for waking you up."

"Don't worry about it, really." Sora said smiling. "I don't mind. I'd rather make sure you're okay." He brushed his hand against her cheek. "Go ahead and try to get some sleep, okay? If you need me, I'm just out in the living room."

Kairi nodded and lay back down in Sora's bed. He pulled the covers over her before walking back out of his room, shutting the door behind him. He collapsed back down on his couch and lay on his back staring at the ceiling. It would've been easy for him to just fall back asleep since it was about three in the morning, but something else was on his mind.

 _I can't believe i just kissed her like that,_ he thought.

* * *

 **A/N: Woo! I am NOT dead! See? I promised I wouldn't forget my AU fic! Be sure to check out my current primary project _Oathkeeper's Awakening_ if you wanna read about Kairi going on her own journey to save Sora!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I know it's been two months! This is what happens when you hit writer's block and then have a HUGE other fanfic project as well as art projects! *Phew* Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12: A Lovely Day

Kairi's eyes fluttered open as the late morning sun peeked into Sora's bedroom, casting a harsh light. She looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table and saw that it was already almost 9:30 in the morning. _Wow...I slept in late..._ she thought to herself. Thankfully it was Saturday, and her office was closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Her heart skipped beats as her eyes flew open and didn't recognize the bedroom she was in right away. It took her a moment to remember that Sora had offered her to stay at his apartment overnight. She rubbed her head that felt like a rock had smacked it in the side. _That's it Kairi, no more wine right before bedtime anymore,_ she thought herself.

The lack of noise in the rest of the apartment sent unnerving chills. Was she alone at the apartment? Kairi hopped out of bed and peeked her head out to find a soundly sleeping Sora passed out on his couch. She softly chuckled to herself as she stepped all the way out closing the door behind her. There was something oddly adorable about the way he slept. He was curled up as much as he could, and literally had the blanket snuggled in his arms. It was almost...childish, but in a cute way. Kairi walked over and ran a hand through Sora's fluffy locks much like how she would do to Yuki. _Wow...his hair really is soft. I could get used to this._

Snapping herself out of her thoughts was Kairi's stomach. She placed a hand on her growling stomach. _Hmm, I should go get breakfast somewhere, but that would require getting dressed, which would take longer, and I'm starving._ Kairi looked towards the kitchen and a mental lightbulb went off in her head. _Sora cooked dinner for me last night._ She walked over to the fridge and opened it, pulling out eggs, milk, bacon, and butter, followed by pancake flour from the cupboards above her head. _I'll cook breakfast for him._

The sound of simmering oil and the savory scents of bacon tickled Sora's senses as he stirred his sleepy head and looked towards the kitchen. His blurred vision shortly focused and was accompanied by a warm smile when he saw Kairi cooking. Sora sighed and kicked off the blanket, allowing him to stretched his arms out and let a loud yawn escape his mouth.

"Morning." Sora greeted as he took a seat on one of the bar stools.

Kairi turned her attention from the stove to the half-awake Sora. "Morning! Hope you don't mind me cooking. I figured it was the least I could do after the amazing meal you made last night. How do you like your eggs?"

"You didn't have to do this, but I appreciate you." He laughed. "Scrambled, light and fluffy."

"Perfect! It'll be a few minutes. I gotta cook the bacon first."

Sora stood up and walked into the kitchen. Coffee was calling his name and he needed it. "I'm gonna make some coffee, you want a cup?"

Kairi giggled. "I already made some! See?" She pointed to the coffee maker that was full of fresh, black coffee.

"Wow...you really went all out."

"Like I said, I kinda owe you one after last night. It was…" She brought her spatula-bearing hand to her chest. "It was really sweet of you to take care of me like that last night."

Sora scooted around Kairi to get to the coffee, their frontal areas touching for a brief second and sending chills into her stomach. "No worries. I had to make sure you were okay." He cracked a smile as he grabbed two mugs from the cabinet. "How does the fair lady like her coffee?"

"Oh?" Kairi blushed as she flicked some hair behind her ear. Who did Sora think he was? Calling her a 'fair lady'? She was anything but that, or so she thought. "I like mine really sweet. I put a lot of sugar and creamer in mine."

"I see somebody's got a sweet tooth." He remarked as he took the creamer from the fridge and began pouring it into one of the mugs. After a few scoops of sugar were mixed in, Sora took the mug and stepped much closer to Kairi than she expected, holding the warm mug out for her. "For you." His voice especially soft that time, almost as if it shot a sense of calmness throughout Kairi's mind and body. "I can take over if you'd like."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She refused, shaking her head. "Besides, I'm ready to-AH!" Kairi shrieked as she accidentally knocked her mixing bowl of pancake batter all over the stove.

"Shit!" Sora cursed as he set down the coffee mug.

Kairi frantically paced around the stove, accidentally burning herself on the frying pan where the bacon was cooking. She let out a painful moan as she held her hand and stepped away from the stove allowing Sora to turn off the stove and move the frying pans onto the burners that were turned off. He sighed heavily as he took the bowl of pancake batter and set it over by the sink, ready to clean it out. Cleaning the stove was already a pain in the neck, but having the pancake batter over the burners was going to make it even harder. Still, cleaning the stove was the last thing on Sora's mind.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked, his voice full of concern.

Kairi shook out her hand. "I burned my hand on the stove…"

"Here, let me see it." He cradled Kairi's hand in his and examined it. It glowed a shade of pink, but didn't look like it did any severe damage. It didn't change the fact that it stung like hell. "It doesn't look bad, but we should take care of it anyway. Let's go to the bathroom."

Kairi nodded and followed Sora back into the bathroom. He turned on the cool water and ran it over her hand for a few minutes. Once he felt like she had soaked her hand enough, Sora grabbed some ointment and led her back into the living room.

"You okay? You're awfully quiet." Sora asked.

Kairi kept her head held low. "I'm sorry for ruining your kitchen and wasting all of that food. I'll pay you back for the food you lost."

"Kairi, don't worry about it. It's no big deal, really." He laughed. "You should've seen the disaster that happened when I tried to make homemade lasagna for the first time." His laughing subsided when he noticed his joke wasn't making Kairi feel any better. "Kairi...what's wrong?"

"It's just that you've been so sweet, and I wanted to do something nice for you in return, and I'm so clumsy that I can't even cook you breakfast…"

Sora sighed before taking Kairi by the shoulders and pulling her into a hug. "You don't have to do anything more." He whispered, rubbing her back. "You being here is enough."

Kairi smiled as she hugged him back. "You give really good hugs."

"Thanks." He broke the hug and took Kairi's hand. "Sorry in advance, this might sting a little, but it's supposed to help." Sora began rubbing a thin layer of ointment on top of it. "Is your hand feeling any better?" His soft fingertips brushed along the top of her hand causing goosebumps to form on Kairi's arms despite it being rather warm inside the apartment.

"Y-yeah. It doesn't hurt as bad."

Sora smiled. "Good." He brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a kiss before standing from the couch. "You let your hand recover more and I'm gonna go clean the kitchen."

Kairi's smile faded after Sora let go of her hand and turn to head back into the kitchen. She reached out before he could get too far. "Sora, wait!" He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her with an eyebrow raised. Her eyes darted from Sora's down to the ground, now unsure of what she was about to ask him. "This might sound weird, but...can I feel your hands?"

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry. I know that sounds weird."

Sora shrugged before coming back to the couch and sitting next to Kairi. He held out one of his hands for her and smiled. Kairi's eyes darted between his eyes and his hand. Staring at it, she reached out and cradled Sora's hand in hers. Her fingertips traced along the lines that made up his handprint. His palm was soft and flawless, almost as if he could heal anything he touched. Kairi couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to hold hands with him for an extended period of time. Her hands were rather small, so they would fit rather well in his grasp, right? The nervous flutters in her stomach calmed down the more she rubbed his hand, almost as if she no longer felt the need to be nervous that these hands would do anything to harm her.

As Kairi's grip on his hand tightened, Sora studied her face. He didn't want to believe it, but in his heart, he knew that something wasn't right with her. He started to realize that the days she spent with him, she was constantly putting aside whatever problems and negative emotions she had so she could focus on him. How could Sora not be grateful for her coming into his life? Sure, Psychologists were trained to set aside their own life for others, but with Kairi, she was different to him. She was doing it on her own time and he was only paying her for a few visits. Sora curled his fingers and softly gripped Kairi's hand, causing a small gasp to escape her mouth. Kairi looked up and saw Sora's sensitive smile, as if all attention was on her. She returned the smile, as her bloodstream started to pick up in pace.

"Your hand...it's...so soft…" Kairi softly said. "It's so gentle."

"Soft and gentle?" Sora chuckled. "That's new."

"Sorry, I'll stop now." She quickly released her grasp. "I should come help you clean the kitchen anyway."

Sora shook his head. "Let me go clean the kitchen really quickly, and then if you want, we can go get food somewhere else."

Kairi gasped. Going out? With Sora? Was that even allowed? He was offering, so surely it was okay, right? _I can't do this. He's one of my patients. If anybody saw us out together, that could jeopardize my job._ Kairi thought as Sora's words echoed through her mind. _But then again, it's not a date, right? We're just friends, if anything._ She smiled and nodded, agreeing to Sora's offer. _Going to get food together's pretty harmless, right?_ Kairi took the time that Sora took to clean the kitchen to change. She normally would've taken a shower, but didn't feel right using Sora's shower without his consent.

It didn't take long for Sora to finish cleaning, much to Kairi's surprise. Maybe she didn't make as big of a mess as she thought and she just overreacted. The thought then hit Kairi that she didn't bring a change of clothes! _Great...I'm gonna be stuck wearing my work clothes from yesterday._ She mentally slapped herself in the forehead. She wasn't planning to be spending her Saturday morning to go like this at all. All she expected was for Friday to be a counseling day for Sora, then she'd go home, and her weekend would continue as normal. For Kairi though, normal didn't exist in her life anymore.

"That was fast." Kairi said coming out of Sora's bedroom so he could go in and change.

Sora shrugged. "I figured I'd leave the dishes until later. I won't be long. Just gonna take a quick shower and change and then we can go."

"Right, I feel stupid for wearing my work clothes from yesterday, though."

"You look perfectly fine to me." He said flashing a cheesy smile.

Kairi shook her head while blushing. On one hand, Sora seemed very insecure, but another side of him had him more confident and energetic. In a way, it reminded her of herself. She had this side to her that was strong and in control of her life and emotions while the other side had her feeling hopeless and that things will only get worse for her. In the meantime, Kairi had almost no choice but to accept Sora's offer. Besides, it was only going to be a couple hours at the most. It was only going to breakfast, nothing more than that.

Boy, did the universe have a sense of humor for Kairi. Sora did take her to breakfast. In fact, he took her to his favorite place down the road that he liked to visit on the weekends. He'd have brunch while working on grades. Kairi found it amusing that the old lady who came to wait on them knew him quite well. It also didn't help that she gave him a hard time about bringing _a girl_ with him this time around, the poor guy blushing from embarrassment. Kairi found it cute. It was like a mom or a grandma embarrassing her son or grandson.

"Well, enjoy!" Sora cheerfully said as their server brought them each numerous plates of food that were loaded with eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash browns, and sausage. "The pancakes are especially fluffy!"

Kairi laughed sheepishly. "Are you sure you're okay with this? This is an awful lot of food and I don't usually eat much."

"Of course! Dig in!"

Kairi dug her fork into the pancakes and nibbled on a bite. The light, sweet taste of the fluffy cake that teased her taste buds only helped her crave more. Suddenly, Kairi began eating her pancakes at a faster than usual pace. Sora watched with amusement and could only laugh. He had never seen a woman eat so fast before in his life. He almost found it...attractive? Was Sora weird for finding that attractive? Maybe it wasn't so much the fact that Kairi was eating so fast and actually had an appetite, but the fact that she was enjoying something as much as he did that made him feel warm inside.

After filling up on their breakfast. Kairi opted to take a walk around town with Sora since the weather was so perfect and she could use the exercise after all of the food she had only just ingested. Today was Saturday, which meant the Farmer's Market was going on downtown. Sora had never visited the Farmer's Market, which only convinced Kairi to take him there even more. It was one of the highlights of her Saturday mornings. She would bring Yuki down and they'd buy fresh produce. The vendors had everything from apples to oranges to melons to fresh vegetables. Sora smiled widely as his senses overloaded from the sweet scents of oranges and melons.

Sora jogged up to the peaches. "Wow...these look amazing." He paid the vendor for three peaches.

"Only three?"

"Watch this. This is a little secret talent of mine."

One by one, Sora started tossing them up and then catching them up until he was juggling all three of them. Kairi's eyes widened as he effortlessly juggled the fruits and walked towards her. It wasn't long until he tossed one high up and then caught in his mouth, emitting laughter from the both of them. As if Sora wasn't already being cute enough for her, he took one of the peaches and held it up for Kairi to take a bite. She bit a rather hefty chunk out before taking the one Sora had in his mouth. He flashed a cheesy smile after chewing and swallowing his bite. _Did we just feed each other?_ Kairi asked. _Does that even count? What is up with us?_

For the rest of the day, Sora and Kairi spent it walking along the town, keeping the talking in a casual manner. For once, they were talking about topics that interested him and not necessarily about problems that plagued them. It was exactly what they both needed. Kairi ended up smiling and laughing more than she had in a single day in recent years. She even found herself hopping onto a fountain and walking on the edge much like how she used to when she was younger. Unfortunately, her clumsiness caused her to trip and go falling off, Sora catching her much to both of their relief. Kairi, with her arms clutching to Sora, found herself getting lost in his concern-filled eyes before lifting herself up and straightening out.

As the two of them strolled up through the tram common, Kairi looked up at the sound of the clock tower striking 4:00. She smiled widely as she got an idea in her head. Sora tilted his head to the side as she took her hand in his and let him over towards the base of the tower. He too began to smile as soon as he was able to catch onto what her plan was. The two of them got into an elevator and pressed the top floor button. One uneventful ride up later, Kairi quickly stepped out and out of the way so Sora could experience his first time up at the top of the clock tower. His jaw dropped at the sight he was treated too. The entire town could be seen from where they were. He could even see the large body of water where the sunset rested on the horizon. Kairi took a seat on the edge and patted the spot next to her inviting him to join her. Sora nodded, gladly taking up the offer. It seemed as if time had stopped as the two of them sat peacefully next to each other enjoying the peace and quiet.

"Are you cold?" Sora asked after enough silence filled the space. Kairi shook her head. "Right. I guess you're kinda used to the chillier weather."

"Are you?"

"A little. I'm an islander. This is gonna be my first winter outside of the temperate winters we have. You know, when it's 60 degrees outside instead of 80 degrees every day." He remarked with a laugh.

Kairi sighed as she shut her eyes. "That sounds wonderful."

"You really don't like the cold, do you?"

"I really don't. To be honest, I've always wanted to live on an island like yours." She swung her legs back and forth on the edge. "The sound of waves crashing on rock formations, the sound of palm trees blowing in the wind, blue skies and sunshine every day."

Sora laughed. "Well, we do have our share of bad weather, especially during summertime, but for the most part, it really is beautiful." He paused, looking over at Kairi. "How come you never left Twilight Town?"

"There was always something keeping me here. After high school, it was college, and then it was my ex…, and then after Yuki was born, the idea of relocating somewhere so far just seemed impossible, especially since I was still a graduate student while Yuki was a baby. Now, I definitely can't leave. Yuki's doing well in school, I have my family, my friends." Kairi giggled. "I definitely can't leave with you here now."

"Technically you could, but I'd be REALLY sad if you did." Sora sighed dramatically before the two of them laughed. "You know, leaving my home at Destiny Islands was a very scary thing for me to do, but I'm glad I did." He smiled warmly at her. "I never would've met you had I not faced my fears and just done it." He chuckled. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, never be afraid to take risks in life, because you never know what's around the corner. It could change your life forever."

Kairi nodded. "You're right about that. Maybe someday I'll finally end up on the island home that I dream about."

Sora paused for a minute and watched Kairi get immersed in her daydream. This whole time, he could've been enjoying the sunset and seeing all of Twilight Town at once. Instead, he found himself watching Kairi. He couldn't help but smile at just how she lit up whenever she talked about something she was passionate about, whether it was a hobby or a dream. It only made him want to work hard towards making those dreams a reality, much like how Kairi worked hard to help Sora overcome his depression and grief. As he watched the wind blow her hair, Sora started to briefly think back to his island home and wonder how beautiful it would be to watch the sunset at his favorite spot on the island. It reminded him that he had something to give to her.

"Hey," Sora said as he tapped her arm. "I gotcha something."

"Oh?"

"Close your eyes." He leaned forward and whispered.

Kairi shut her eyes. "You're not gonna try and kiss me, are you?"

"Oh darn, you ruined the surprise…" Sora said overdramatically.

"What?" She asked, her eyes flying open.

"Heh, kidding!" Sora laughed as he reached into his pocket. "Close your eyes for real now and hold out your hand." He held Kairi's open hand with one and placed his clenched fist over it, dropping some yellow and pink seashells in her hand. "Okay, you can open."

Kairi's eyes flew open and were welcomed by the sight of five seashells. She gasped as she took one of them and held it up to examine. "Sora...these are beautiful! I love them!"

"Those are from my island. They're thalassa shells, the ones that are from the sailor story I told you about."

"I remember! These are so pretty!"

Sora laughed at Kairi clutching one by her heart. "Well, I saw them on my dresser this morning, and I thought of you, and how I promised I'd bring you some. Maybe those will bring you some good luck in the future."

Kairi giggled. "Or maybe they already have." She smiled at Sora as he scratched the back of his head, his cheeks glowing pink. Clenching the shells, she set them inside of her purse. "I'll keep them safe." Her eyes caught one look at the time on the clock tower before starting to stand up and hold her hand out. "We'd better head back down. You don't wanna be up here when the clock strikes the top of the hour, unless you wanna end up deaf in one ear."

"Right."

After walking for a couple miles, they finally found Sora's car back where they had initially parked it. It was a quiet drive, but Kairi was okay with the silence. She had spent the whole day talking with Sora that now, being able to just enjoy his presence, was perfect for her. In fact, the idea of their day coming to an end, saddened Kairi. She had such a great time with him and never thought anything negative as long as he was around. Keeping quiet, Kairi stared out the passenger window and watched the passing trees.

Sora noticed that her mood had changed, but felt it in his gut to not ask her about it. Instead, he simply reached a hand over and brushed her arm with it. Kairi snapped out of her spacing out and looked over, catching Sora's reassuring smile and returning one back to him. Even if it seemed like a small gesture, Kairi couldn't help but smile for the rest of the drive back to Sora's apartment. It was the little things that he did that made her appreciate him and the bond they had formed over the past couple months.

"Well, we're back." Sora said with a hint of disappointment in his voice as he parked.

Kairi nodded slowly. "Yeah." She grabbed her purse "I definitely need to get going."

"Here, I'll walk you to your car."

Sora got out of the driver's seat and opened the passenger door, helping Kairi out. They unintentionally held hands for a bit longer than either of them expected, leading to both of them suddenly breaking contact between each other. Sora shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground while Kairi gripped onto the strap of her purse and stared off to the side.

"Well...thanks for today." Kairi said with a smile. "I...really needed a day out."

Sora laughed and scratched the back of his head. "No worries, Kairi-I mean, Dr. Uchida." He sighed and looked away. "I'm sorry. I'll stop doing that."

"Hey, you've been seeing me every Friday for the past month and a half, I was over at your house for dinner last night, and we just spent the whole day together, I'm pretty sure we're on a first-name basis now."

"Fair enough, Kairi." He softly said, the warmth in his voice forcing the shy grin on Kairi's face to grow. His smile faded as he watched her open her car door. "So, I guess I won't see you until after Thanksgiving then, huh?"

Kairi sighed. She completely forgot that her office was closed for four days the next weekend because of Thanksgiving and Yuki was off school. She felt bad for not going into the office to see Sora because it was a holiday weekend. However, Kairi did need the time off not just for her, but so she could be at home with Yuki.

"I'm afraid so, but do you have your phone on you?" Kairi asked holding out her hand. Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and gave it to her so she could enter her number in. "Even if I'm not in the office, if you need to talk over the weekend, give me a call, okay?"

Sora stuttered as he looked down at the entered digits. "O-Okay, thanks, Kairi! I'll try not to bother you and your family though."

"Don't worry about it." Kairi smiled warmly and shook her head. Her eyes darted between Sora and her car before looking back at him. "Well, I'll see you soon? After the holidays?" She asked, holding out her arms for a friendly hug.

"Yeah, of course!"

Sora took Kairi's offer and joined in her hug. What should've just been a quick hug turned into an embrace that, no matter how long the two of them stood there, it wasn't enough for Kairi. She took everything about him in, his gentle touch, his fresh natural scent, the warmth his body temperature emitted, which was perfect for the chilly evening. She almost didn't want to leave him because he felt so warm. Yet, she did. Kairi sighed and broke the hug begrudgingly. With one final wave, she got into her car and began to drive away. Sora hopelessly watched as her dimpled car slowly but surely disappeared out of sight.

Kairi had a silent drive home, once again, dreading going home. She didn't want her day to end with her feelings of emptiness and the possibility of having nightmares again. Even if she had nightmares while staying Sora's place, he was at least right by her side immediately when she needed him. _Why...why'd it have to be you? Why'd you have to pick me?_ Kairi thought in her head. _Being with you only makes it harder to go home to my own life now._ She pulled into the driveway and walked inside, hanging up her purse, and sighing heavily, dreading the fact that she had to be home again, especially considering that she had just remembered that she forgot to call Namine about being out overnight.

"Kairi! Where have you been?" Namine yelled as she came out from the kitchen.

"I know, I'm sorry! I forgot to call you!"

"Forget? FORGET? Forgetting is when your husband forgets to put the toilet seat down. Forgetting is when you forget to buy something on the grocery list. How does someone forget to tell the person who's watching their kid that they're gonna be, oh I don't know, 24 HOURS LATE?" She fumed.

Kairi groaned. "Look, I was with…" She paused, careful not to let her know she was with her patient the entire time. "I was with...just someone."

"Just someone? Like... _a guy_ someone?"

"Maybe?" Kairi's face began to flush pink as she walked into the kitchen with guilt in her eyes.

Namine did a double take before following her sister. "W-Wait! You _were_ with a guy!" She cornered Kairi as she tried to get some water. "Was it Riku?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"No! No! That was a one time thing and my head was not in a good place! This guy is different!" Kairi stammered as she quickly shook her head, denying any accusations Namine had.

"Well, that's still not good that you didn't call! Yuki kept asking me where you were. I had to tell her that you got stuck at work so she wouldn't freak out."

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry...I really am. Where's Yuki?"

"She's asleep. She ended up having a sleepover with Aika at Terra and Aqua's house last night and was exhausted, so she's been napping for the past couple hours."

"I should go wake her up." Kairi set down her water glass and brushed past Namine.

"I wouldn't. Yuki's fine." Namine suggested. "I told her I'd order Chinese for dinner so she'll be up soon. Besides, she was kinda emotional and cranky from the lack of sleep and not knowing where you were."

"I guess that's fair."

"But now I'm curious, how the hell did you not get any of mine or Aqua's calls? You always have your phone on."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. Namine had a point. How did she miss all of those calls? It started to freak her out considering she also had a work phone with her and she didn't get any calls from her patients either. She went over to her purse to try and double check her phones, only for her stomach to do flips when she realized both of her phones were missing as well as her wallet.

 _You're kidding..._ Kairi cursed at herself in her mind. It was no wonder she didn't get any calls or text messages. She had no idea where either of her phones were. Maybe it was left at the breakfast restaurant? No, Kairi didn't take out her phone at breakfast. What about her wallet? Sora paid for their food, so there was no way she could've left it at the restaurant either and they didn't go anywhere else. Her heart started racing as she double checked the smaller pockets as well as the pockets on her clothes in vain that either of her phones would magically appear and her stress could stop. Life didn't work that way, so instead, Kairi hopelessly searched around the vanity. She even ran out to her car to double check and make sure she didn't leave anything in there, but nothing.

"Namine! I'm screwed!" Kairi cried out, ready to tear her hair out. "I'm gonna lose my job if I lose that phone!"

"Now, don't panic. Where did you last remember having it out?" Namine placed her hands on Kairi's shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"Honestly, I can't remember. Between last night and today, everything happened so fast." She slumped into a chair and buried her face in her hands. "What the hell is wrong with me? I'm always so organized!"

"Kairi, we'll figure it out." Namine said rubbing her sister's back. She pulled out her phone and began tapping on the screen. "Your phone is a Gummi. We'll use this app to track yours down, okay?"

Kairi wiped the tears that had begun building up in her eyes and nodded. She looked on the screen and watched as Namine booted up the app and enter in her number. It took a minute, but the app managed to load up a map of the area where Kairi's phone was located, a red dot indicating the phone's location. Upon zooming in on the map, Namine and Kairi both found themselves scratching their heads when they saw the phone was located on Kairi's street. They both shared confused look before the doorbell rang.

"Chinese food?" Kairi asked.

Namine shook her head. "I haven't ordered yet."

Curious, Kairi walked to the door and opened up to find Sora standing in the doorway, bouncing off the balls of his feet. "Hey! Sora! What are you doing here?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"Eh...I hope I'm not bothering you, but you left a few things at my place." Sora held out Kairi's two phones and her wallet. "I figured they were important."

"Oh my gosh! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Kairi exclaimed and hopped up and down as she took her items from him. "Wow, you have no idea how great this is!"

Sora laughed softly. "Glad I could be of help."

"Did you wanna come in for some coffee or something? I'd hate for you to have to rush out after coming all the way over here." She offered, shyly brushing some hair behind her ear.

"Thanks, but I think I'll just head home. I don't wanna keep you from your family any longer." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "I'll...uh...see you later, Kairi." Sora waved before turning and walking back to his car.

Kairi sighed as she watched him leave. "Bye Sora…"

Namine crossed her arms and tapped her foot as Kairi shut the door slowly. She turned around and noticed the blonde giving her a smug look. "Was that the guy you were with last night?"

"Y-Yeah…" Kairi admitted. She couldn't hide it any longer as a blush crossed on her face. "Today too. We spent the whole day together. It was...amazing."

"Kairi…" Namine sighed before a soft smile formed on her face. As angry as she was at Kairi, she couldn't stay mad at her forever, especially seeing her sister's true smile on her face for the first time in a long time. "Look at you. You're glowing. I haven't seen you smile like this in a long time. Do you...like him?"

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "I...I don't know." Her smile faded as she turned her face away. "But even if I did, it wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because...it's complicated." She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. "Well, why don't I buy us dinner? You've already done so much taking care of Yuki today." She pulled down an extra glass. "Want a glass of wine?"

Namine laughed softly and walked into the kitchen and placed her hand on top of Kairi's. "Nope. I can't drink right now." She softly said with a smile on her face.

"Oh? Why no-" Kairi cut herself off and gasped as soon as the pieces began to fall into place. Namine feeling sick, and more tired recently, and not being able to drink? "Namine? Are you pregnant?" She asked, her excitement peaking. Namine smiled widely and nodded. "Oh my gosh! Namine!" She scooped her sister into a tight embrace, both of them forgetting whatever negativity was felt earlier. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Kairi. It took me a little while, but I finally decided to go for it again. Or, Roxas and I decided to go for it again." Namine giggled as she rested a hand on her stomach. "It's still early, but we're due in the middle of July!"

Kairi laughed and took her sister's hands in hers. "Congratulations, Namine."

Just as their celebrating calmed down, Kairi and Namine turned to the stairs as they heard the footsteps of Yuki echoing along the walls. She came hopping downstairs, wearing nothing more than a T-shirt and pajama bottoms and rubbing her heavy eyes. Kairi could definitely tell that she had been sleeping for a while if she was still trying to wake up.

"What's going on?" Yuki asked, yawning. "Why are we all yelling?"

Kairi exchanged a smile with Namine before nudging her sister forward. "You wanna tell her? Or wait until Thanksgiving?"

Namine shrugged her shoulders. "Well, everyone's gonna find out anyway." She crouched down to Yuki's level and caressed her niece's cheek with her hand. "Yuki, your Uncle Roxas and I are gonna have a baby. You're gonna have a new little cousin this summer."

"That's cool. Can we get Chinese food now?" Yuki said with a simple smile.

Namine and Kairi shared a laugh with each other before they both hugged and kissed Yuki. Chinese food was finally ordered and the three girls enjoyed their dinner in peace. It was times like this that made Kairi remember how much she loved her little family, even if she did still feel a sort of emptiness. Her phone buzzed in the middle of dinner. Normally, Kairi wasn't one to check her phone during mealtimes, but considering Yuki and Namine were in the middle of a very intriguing conversation regarding dragons, she figured she could check quickly.

Kairi looked at her phone notifications and saw that she got a message from a number that was unfamiliar, yet she could tell who it was based on the context of the message.

 **Hey, it's me, Sora! Sorry to bug ya, I was just glad I could get your stuff back to you. I had a great time with you today and hope to see you soon :)**

Kairi laughed and shook her head. She couldn't even remember the last time one of her friends or family members used emojis or emotes in their texts. Was she really getting that old? With a smile on her face, she decided to quickly text him back.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

 _ **Thank you. I had a great time today too. I'll see you soon :)**_

Sora smiled with amusement at the text message he got from Kairi. He wasn't sure how to text her if he could be honest. Should he use proper punctuation? Or was that too formal? Maybe he can use casual language, but maybe it would make his text look lazy? What about emotes and emojis? Were those too juvenile? Did that mean his personality was too juvenile for her? Then again, Sora only sent her a quick text to make sure she knew his number and to express that he was glad he could return her stuff to her. That wasn't too weird, right?

Setting his phone on the coffee table, Sora lounged on the couch and watched some TV. It was crazy how despite Kairi only staying at his place for one night, it already felt so much emptier without her. Was he really that lonely?

* * *

 **A/N: Anybody else hungry for pancakes after reading this chapter? I know I am now! *Goes for pancakes***


End file.
